Ascension
by Revanchist7
Summary: Percy enjoys one amazing year following the end of the Second Giant War, but in one wrenching moment, loses his everything. As the fog of destiny swirls around our young hero, Percy reemerges from isolation and, destined to do great and terrible things, grapples with the gift and curse of godhood he never wanted. A story of loss and love, friendship, destiny, and Ascension.
1. Wisdom's Daughter

Ascension

 **Hey everyone, it's my first time actually posting content on this site so I am a little new to this. Still, I've had some writing experience before and thought I'd give it a go. Hope you guys enjoy and I do appreciate all the feedback, reviews, and comments you all can give to keep me going! Now, without further a do, enjoy Percy Jackson: Ascension**

Chapter 1: Wisdom's Daughter

"One last time Olympus shall call,

Upon her hero, the greatest of them all.

Immortality is what he must receive,  
If we are to survive and he is to lead.

Moon and Mist will soothe Sea's Pain,  
Less the world see chaos reign.

To see the Earth in endless death,  
The hero's soul saved by love's last breath."

The throne room went silent, the Olympian Council shocked beyond measure. The cosmos seemed to loom above, with the normally glittering constellations appearing ominous and suppressed. The giant hearth before the assorted thrones burned a dull purple and reached no more than a few inches above the ground. And yet the atmosphere in the room was electrifying with so many emotions and thoughts emanating from the various individuals present. Fourteen Olympians stood standing in front of their respective thrones. Crouching on the floor before them was a tall, handsome boy with jet-black hair and brilliant sea-green eyes that were stricken with grief. Tears flowed freely down his chiseled face as he silently sobbed. Standing to his right was a beautiful red-headed girl with emerald-green eyes and a light splash of freckles on her face. She too sobbed silently, for before them all was the broken body of a blond haired girl.

The silence was broken at last by the red-headed girl.

"Percy…I am so, so sorry. I don't know what happened," she sobbed, "I thought I wasn't the Oracle of Delphi anymore since after the last war…I would never intentionally deliver a prophecy like this."

The girl couldn't hold back her tears anymore, and as if the floodgates were suddenly opened, she began to bawl her eyes out with reckless abandon.

The boy turned to her, a look of sympathy flashed into his grief-stricken eyes.

"Rachel, _none_ of this is your fault," he said, "come here".

He rose from the ground and she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck as she cried into his chest. Percy hugged Rachel closer as her touch seemed to make the painful emptiness in his shattered heart more bearable. He was trembling with rage, with betrayal, with _grief._ He glared at the gods.

"To hell with your prophecies," he snarled.

Zeus narrowed his eyes, "How dare you—".

"NO. YOU WILL LISTEN TO ME!" Percy willed himself to calm down before continuing. "I am going to bury my her and give her her last rights. I am going to see her father and family and explain to them the gods she dedicated her life to were unable to protect her…that I was unable to protect her. And then, I am going to have my revenge on those who took her away from me. This I _swear_ on the river styx."

Thunder rumbled in the distance and the gods murmured amongst one another. Percy stared at them coldly, the spirit of vengeance barely contained in his eyes.

Poseidon cleared his throat and spoke.

"Percy, my son, you know my love for you knows no limits. You have done so much for Olympus. A tragic thing has happened today; a new threat has reared its head. Son, I implore you to at least attend this council meeting so that we can best decide what to do next. For if we do not, more people will die."

The sea god looked at his son meaningfully, and for a moment it looked as if Percy might argue. Then Rachel forced herself to stop crying and reached up to whisper something into Percy's ear. His gaze softened and the fire in his eyes abated.

"We will listen," he said.

The gods looked relieved, and some of them let out breaths they didn't know they were holding.

 ** _24 hours ago_**

"…for while high school graduation is a great mile-stone in any young adult's life, it is just the beginning…"

Annabeth bobbed her head absentmindedly as the dean gave the obligatory graduation speech. She was graduating. Part of her was proud and a bit surprised she made it all the way to graduation given her eventful and hectic life. From the days spent on the run with her friends Luke and Thalia to her years in Camp Half Blood, Annabeth could never truly claim to have been bored. Sure she had her fill of the mortal world, and the place normal people her age go to—school. In fact, she spent most of her years in the mortal world, only plunging herself back to the world of gods and monsters in the summer and winter breaks. And yet, here she stood on the stage with the rest of Goode High School's graduating Class of 2014. She had fought in two major wars, battled countless monsters, nearly died _way too many_ times (her scars proved that), even…

She was broken out of her thoughts as she felt a sneaky hand finding its way up her thigh. She rolled her eyes and swatted the hand away, giving its owner a playful punch in the side while she was at it. _Percy Jackson_. Son of the sea god, Savior of Olympus…and a bunch of other titles, but most importantly, her best friend…and the love of her life. Save a few heart-wrenching occasions, Percy had been with her every step of the way as they braved the world of Greek mythology (reality?) together. She remembered accompanying him on their first quest, she remembered rejecting the Hunters of Artemis because she couldn't see herself without him, and she remembered their first underwater kiss at the bottom of Camp Half Blood Lake at the end of the Second Titan War. Then the second great prophecy came...and that brought along with it a whole new set of adventures and memories…

"You know, you look really adorable when you're reminiscing," Percy whispered into her ear, "you get this distant smile on your lips and your eyes glaze over."

Despite herself, Annabeth blushed…like she always did when Percy wanted her to. _It's so unfair! He knows me so well he can pretty much push all my buttons._

She gathered her senses and tried to sound annoyed, "You are _so_ dead once we get out of here Jackson! You think you're such a hot shot huh, yeah well I've got—"

"Yeah! Savior of Olympus at your service." He winked at her and flashed her a brilliant smile before looking straight ahead again.

Annabeth sighed and caved, slipping her hand into his and promising herself she'd get the better of him later.

Annabeth stared at herself in the mirror, giving her blond curls a last minute brushing. After examining her knee-length maroon colored dress and nodding in approval, she began touching up on her makeup, which she normally didn't use (she decided the occasion called for it). She and Percy were going on a date! Okay they went on lots of dates, but tonight they were celebrating their high school graduation and their future together in New Rome. Four years of college and then…well it didn't matter as long as they were together. She took a deep breath and turned around as Percy came out of his bathroom. He stopped, starred, and smiled.

"Might I say, my lady, that you look absolutely stunning…" he paused, " _more so_ than usual".

 _Nice save…man he was good. I'm not gonna blush. I'm not gonna blush. I'm not gonna blush._

It didn't help that he was decked out in a super suave suit—black dress pants and jacket, a plain white dress shirt, and a stripped sea-green colored tie. With his tall and strong build, he looked like a god…of deliciousness… _Annabeth!_

"You look pretty good yourself," she replied coolly.

"You're blushing,"

 _God damn it!_

"I am not…" Annabeth mumbled.

Percy walked up to her and wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close. He leaned down and kissed the top of her head. She looked up at him and smiled, cupping his face as she leaned up for a kiss. When their lips met, Annabeth shivered slightly with pleasure and pressed closer to Percy, deepening the kiss. After about a minute, Percy gently pulled away.

"So, do we want to spend all night kissing or do we want to go out for our amazing date?" he said softly.

Annabeth pouted, "Fine, will you finally tell me where we're going though?"

He grinned, "You know that new restaurant Apollo was talking about—Apollo's Steakhouse. Tonight's the opening night and I got us a reservation for two!"

Annabeth's jaw dropped. "He…don't tell me…we're…eating his sacred cattle?"

Percy shrugged, "I don't know man. It's _his_ cattle. He can do what he wants with it."

"How are we going to get there?"

"Like this," Percy grinned, "CUZZZ, we're ready!"

The next thing Annabeth knew, they disappeared in a flash of golden light. They reappeared seated on an extremely fancy table for two made entirely of gold. The chairs were gold, the cutlery were gold, and somehow, the napkins were too. Annabeth took in her surroundings and saw an entire outside courtyard littered with tables such as the one she was seated at. It was clear they were at one of the palaces of Olympus (she would know, she re-designed the place). However, it appeared the place was converted into a restaurant as she saw a huge sign that read "Apollo's Steakhouse", waiters dashing all over the place, and lots and lots of patrons enjoying themselves. The courtyard overlooked the mountainside, which was filled with streets, palaces, gardens, and parks, all lit by burning braziers as the fire of Olympus illuminated the night. Looking up to the mountaintop, Annabeth could spy the throne room of Mount Olympus, the center of the gods' power.

"Hi there! My name's Isa, and I'll be your waitress today."

Percy and Annabeth turned to a pretty girl dressed in a golden skirt, golden shirt, and…golden shoes. She was pretty much entirely gold, save her pale skin, blue eyes, and silver hair.

"Isa?" Percy asked.

"It's short for Isapanoleia…I'm a minor goddess of streams."

"Oh…I'm Percy Jackson, and this is my girlfriend Annabeth Chase."

Isa flashed me a polite smile, "It's a pleasure to meet you daughter of Athena. You've done an amazing job with redesigning Olympus!"

"Thanks! It's been quite fun I must say," Annabeth replied.

Isa turned back to Percy, "and as for you, _of course_ I know who you are, _Savior of Olympus_."

She gave Percy a wink and if Annabeth hadn't been so sharp, she would've missed the quick head-to-toe scan Isa did on Percy as she checked him out like a pro. Annabeth decided she didn't want Isa to stick around.

"Ummm Isa," Annabeth pushed on, "we haven't gotten a look at a menu yet."

Isa smiled, "that's okay! No one has; the menus haven't been done up yet. We're recommending the 'Sacred Steak of the Sun God with a side of fries and dash of mashed potatoes' for all our guests tonight. Sound good?"

"Sounds amazing!" Percy nodded enthusiastically.

"And can I get you and your lovely lady here a couple glasses of nectar?" Isa asked suggestively.

Annabeth narrowed her eyes, "you're awfully considerate. Thanks!"

When Isa went off to the next table, Annabeth looked at Percy.

"You know, it's annoying how every girl we meet can't stop drooling over you," she whined.

"Annabeth, you're being ridiculous. Besides, just about every guy we come across checks you out."

Annabeth scowled, "that's true, but you they always back off like almost immediately for some reason."

Percy grinned wickedly, " _that_ , my lovely lady, would be my wolf stare at work."

"What the hell is a wolf stare?" Annabeth asked, slightly incredulous.

"Hmmm…" Percy mused, "Just a little something I picked up from Lupa and her pack".

Annabeth sighed. It wasn't easy dating the Savior of Olympus. Even in the mortal world, girls were crazy about Percy because of his good looks and easy going nature. If the two of them weren't always at each other's side, Percy would've been snapped up almost immediately.

"Whatever, as long as everyone knows that I'm yours and you're mine." Annabeth couldn't help sounding possessive. She and Percy had gone through so much to get to this stage of their relationship.

Percy looked at her with surprising amount of love in his eyes, "Yes, they all know. They know that I love you with all my heart and soul, and that I'd do anything for you."

Annabeth felt her cheeks heat up and knew from the smile Percy was trying but failing to hide that she was likely as red as a tomato.

"You can be really sweet, you know that?" she reached over and took his hand, "I love you too Seaweed Brain. More than you'll ever know…forever and always: your Wise Girl."

The rest of dinner went smoothly. The food was amazing, and Percy ended up ordering another round. As the two demigods flushed down their meals with no small amount of nectar, Annabeth noticed a lot of their immortal friends in the area. She saw Zeus, Hera, Aphrodite, Hestia, Hermes…and she even saw Poseidon and Amphitrite, all have a good time and congratulating Apollo on his successful opening night.

Percy pulled up next to her and draped his arm around Annabeth's shoulder. She leaned her head on his shoulder and whispered into his ear, "What's on your mind, Seaweed Brain?"

She looked at him and was surprised to see a little bit of apprehension on his face (though he hid it well). He grinned and she thought she must've imagined it.

"So," he began, "Four years of college at New Rome. Looking forward to it?"

She gazed at him happily, "You know I am. As long as I'm with you, I'll always be happy. Camp Half Blood, Goode High School, Ancient Greece, Tartarus…it doesn't matter. Okay maybe it does. I would rather not go back to Tartarus. But I would for you…cause I love you."

He laughed, and she wrapped her arms around his neck, their faces inches apart. She kissed him gently, drinking in the moment and tasting the sweet flavor of nectar still on his lips. When they broke apart, they were some "awwwws" from the surrounding tables.

Percy took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge.

"Annabeth," he started, "You are the most important person in my life. From the moment I met you, I've always thought you were the smartest and most solid friend anyone could ever have. You were there for me on my very first quest. We saved Thalia together. When I lost you to the manticore all those years ago, I felt so lost myself. We took turns holding up the world, Annabeth. We conquered the Labyrinth together…and we won the Second Titan and Giant Wars together. We've been through so much, I dare say we deserve our paradise. Wise Girl…when I fell for you, I fell for you hard."

Percy looked at Annabeth and saw her smiling. She and Percy had had lots of heart to heart sessions but that didn't diminish the happiness she drew out of them. He then surprised her by standing up and pulling her up with him. He led her a little distance away from their table and faced her again.

"We're going to go to college together soon," Percy murmured. Annabeth had rarely seen Percy so somber and serious before. Normally, he'd crack a joke or tease her by now. She was starting to get a little worried now.

"I guess four years is a long time to enjoy but for some reason I feel now is the right time. Do you love me, Annabeth?"

"… _of course Percy,_ of course I love you," Annabeth stared at Percy in confusion, then nearly fainted at what he did next.

Getting on his knee, Percy took Annabeth's hand, "Annabeth, you're my everything. I've made many good decisions in my life but none are as good as the one I'm about to make."

The people around them all gasped and shuffled excitedly, the people of Olympus staring wide-eyed in anticipation. Annabeth's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, shocked at what she thought Percy was about to do.

Percy reached into his shirt pocket and took out a small silver box and opened it. Inside, Annabeth saw a beautiful, gleaming silver ring with the emblem of a feather crossed with a trident, the symbols of their godly parents.

"Annabeth Chase, I, Percy Jackson, want to spend the rest of my life with you. I love you with all my heart and soul and I _know_ you are _the one_."

Annabeth stopped fighting the tears and they streamed down her face unashamedly. She brought one hand to her mouth to keep from sobbing.

Percy looked at Annabeth with a mischievous look and purposely paused for several long, agonizing seconds, savoring the moment and holding his soon-to-be fiancée in anticipation.

"Annabeth Chase," he continued, "Will you marry me?"


	2. Sealing the Deal

**Hey guys! I'm happy with the rate at which this story has caught on and I'm having a lot of fun with it. I've got so much more in store for you guys so please keep the reviews coming—I appreciate all your feedback and responses. The more I get, the faster I'll write! Now, I hope you enjoy Chapter 2.**

Chapter 2: Sealing the Deal

"Annabeth Chase," he continued, "Will you marry me?"

Annabeth let out a soft sob, and laughed shakily. She opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out. She tried again and Percy bit his lower lip, struggling not to burst out laughing at her. A part of her wanted to roll her eyes, amazed that even during such a sacred and solemn moment Percy could find the nerve to tease her. Determined not to let him get the better of her here, in front of _freaking OLYMPUS,_ Annabeth mustered her senses.

"Yes!" she screamed with gusto, and when he rose from his knee, she threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck and smashing her lips into his. The Olympian crowd cooed and "aww-ed" as wisdom's daughter proceeded to kiss the daylights out of the Savior of Olympus. When they finally broke apart, Percy slipped the gleaming ring into Annabeth's ring finger.

"It looks good on you," Percy grinned.

Annabeth flashed him a shy smile, "You think so?"

"PERCY JACKSON!" boomed a deep voice, "MY SON! My son's engaged now!"

Poseidon broke through the crowd of godly spectators and pulled Percy into a massive hug. Percy wheezed in protest but hugged his father back. When Poseidon finally let his son go, he looked at Annabeth and gave her a warm smile.

"So, I guess we're family now! I mean, we were before…but you get the point." And he gave Annabeth a bone-crushing hug. _Owww..._ she thought. Suddenly she felt a firm hand on her shoulder and turned around to see her mother staring at her with an unreadable expression.

She tried for a smile, "Hi mom, you look good."

Athena scowled at her, "Now what do you think you're doing? Don't you think I'm happy for you?"

Annabeth thought she sounded a bit hurt. She tilted her head, "but…I thought you didn't like Percy".

"Oh darling," Athena chuckled, "I may not have liked him at first, but so much has happened in the past…6 years! I actually can't think of a more suitable husband for my favorite daughter".

Annabeth was stunned as her mother pulled her into a tight hug.

"I gave him my blessing you know," Athena whispered, "I don't think he would've done it if I hadn't."

"Really?" Annabeth gasped, "Mom…that means so much to me. I really love him and to have you approve just makes everything so perfect."

Athena smiled and the two of them looked towards Percy, who was in the process of being man hugged by Apollo and Hermes.

"Hey little cuz! What's the rush huh? Already kissing goodbye to women and ready to settle down at the ripe old age of 17!" Apollo exclaimed.

Hermes chimed in, "Hey Percy, don't mind Apollo and me. We're envious to be honest. We've been around thousands of years and can't find someone to settle down with…which would be sad if we _actually_ wanted to settle down! Freedom and Ladies Forever brah!" And with that, Hermes and Apollo gave each other a godly fist bump.

Athena and Annabeth simultaneously rolled their eyes.

 **LINE BREAK**

Eventually, Percy and Annabeth managed to tear themselves away from the Olympian crowd and head down to the streets of Olympus. They tried to find a park to stroll in but everywhere they went, the people of Olympus would follow them like some sort of godly paparazzi. People kept asking Annabeth, "How's it like being engaged to the Savior of Olympus?!", or "When are you two going to get married? OMG you two are the most adorable couple EVER!"

In the end, Percy decided they should probably return to his place early instead. When they got home, Paul and Sally looked at Annabeth expectantly. She smiled. Paul and Sally cheered. And they all got together for a group hug. When Percy and Annabeth closed the door to Percy's bedroom, they both breathed a sigh of relief. From the moment Percy proposed, they hadn't gotten a single moment to themselves. Now she gazed at him lovingly, overflowing with joy as she felt her eyes tear up. He flashed her his trademark smile, his eyes twinkling with mischief and love.

"You want to hit the showers first?" he offered.

She nodded, "Yeah, thanks."

When both of them had freshened up, they flopped down onto Percy's bed and turned their heads towards each other. They gazed into each other's eyes in pure bliss. Percy reached out to her hand and pulled it closer to him. He inspected the ring and she smiled, running her fingers over the beautiful silver.

"Where d'ya get it?" she asked.

"Tyson made it," he beamed proudly, "100 percent Atlantean Silver mined from my father's most prized caves. Tyson spent 10 days just on the crest alone."

Annabeth smiled, "Well it's beautiful. I love it."

"Glad to hear it…my wonderful _fiancé._ "

Annabeth blushed. It felt so weird yet so…perfectly right to be called that. She was engaged. To the love of her life. Percy wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. Nothing could ruin this moment; nothing could ruin what they had. She rolled over and climbed on top of Percy until she was resting her chin on his chest, her arms folded in front of her.

"I love you, Seaweed Brain," she crooned.

"I love you more, Wise Girl" he imitated the way she spoke.

She scowled and pouted.

"Come here," Percy said. His voice was low and his hair dangled slightly over his left eye. Annabeth inched towards Percy's face and closed her eyes in ecstasy as he leaned up and kissed her tenderly. She drank in the moment, tasting the salty taste of the ocean on his lips and feeling his heartbeat on her chest. He opened his eyes in surprise as he felt the tip of her tongue briefly touch his lip. He smiled and she seized that window of opportunity to break through. At first they were gentle, their tongues lightly touching. Then their competitive natures got the better of them and a battle for dominance raged within their kiss. When Percy clearly won, they broke apart, both gasping for air.

"Woah, what was that?" he inquired.

Annabeth blushed. "Percy…" she said softly, "I'm ready to do this."

Percy stared at her, "Are you sure, Annabeth? I don't want to rush you."

Annabeth nodded her head, "I want this. I want the world to know you're mine and I'm yours."

He smiled, "I can't wait to spend the rest of my life with you Wise Girl. What are we gonna do after college?"

"Who cares?" she whispered, "as long as we're together. Maybe stay in New Rome? Or build our own house in Camp Half Blood. Who knows?"

Percy looked thoughtful; "Sounds like a plan," he decided.

Annabeth started to get a little impatient. She had waited so long for this moment, she really couldn't wait even a second longer.

"Percy, stop talking and kiss me."

He looked at her with a seductive smile and flipped the two of them around so that he was now on top. He began to kiss her neck and she gasped in surprise and pleasure. He then started raining down kisses along her jawline, slowly and steadily. Her mind threatened to overload. She couldn't do anything; she was helpless. Was this what it was like to be powerless? Percy finally made it to her lips and the two of them kissed each other like never before, as if one of them was going to die the next day.

She felt Percy's hand beneath her shirt and up along her back and shivered involuntarily. The next thing she knew, her shirt was on the floor and she was blushing like hell.

"What?" Percy teased, "You said you wanted 'the world to know you're mine and I'm yours'."

Annabeth threw herself at Percy and a few seconds later, Percy's shirt joined hers on the floor. They were both shirtless now, their warm skin touching. She gazed into his eyes and mumbled, "I love you, Seaweed Brain."

"I love you too, Wise Girl," he replied, "Now…time to _seal the deal,_ Savior of Olympus style."

Annabeth made a gagging motion, letting her fiancé know exactly what she thought about his unique sense of humor.

 **And that's Chapter 2! Oh by the way I've neglected to say the obvious and obligatory: I don't own anything from the PJO and HOOD Olympus series! All rights belong to Rick Riordan and I'm just an avid fan happy to throw in my two cents** **J**

 **Anyways if it's not obvious at this point, I really like Percabeth. I genuinely believe it's the most authentic, believable, and powerful fictional relationships ever created across all forms of media—be in books, movies, etc. That being said, I think you all know what's coming very soon. Like. Really soon. Still, I've done my best to give Percabeth their due justice cause that's the very least they deserve. Remember, I wana reach like…10 reviews before I continue!**


	3. The Hero's Soul, Cursed Blade Shall Reap

**Ahhhh nice, finally got out Chapter 3. Phew that took quite a bit…but I hope you guys enjoy it! From here on out is where we kick into high gear and things really start to deviate from the expected. Okay have a pleasant read guys!**

Chapter 3: _The Hero's Soul, Cursed Blade Shall Reap._

 _Achoo!_ Percy woke himself up with a soft sneeze. He opened his eyes and looked down to see a cascade of bright, blond hair splayed out across his chest. He smiled as he felt the soft and steady heartbeat of his fiancé as her form rose up and down in sync with his own breathing. Percy felt like he could lay here forever, content to hold Annabeth close and shut the rest of the world out. He gently wrapped his arms around her and she stirred.

"Is it time to wake up already?" she asked without opening her eyes.

"Ummm, it's like 11 o'clock right now, Annabeth."

She mumbled something incomprehensible. _Awww._

Percy kissed the top of her head, "We got brunch with my parents, then we're dropping by Rachel's place for a visit, then…to camp for our summer…and after all that, finally, the next four years of our lives—college!"

Annabeth finally lifted her head from Percy's chest and looked at him with her intense gray eyes. After all these years, Percy still couldn't get over how beautiful they were, how beautiful _she_ was.

As Percy was struggling not to get lost in them, she said in a soft voice, "Or we could just lay here."

Percy tilted his head, startled at how tempted he was. His instincts, almost never wrong, were fiercely telling him to savor this moment, to drink in every blissful second. However, before he could think too much of it, Annabeth shot him a playful, cheesy smile and started… _singing?_

" _If I lay here…if I just lay here…_ "

Percy stared at her in stunned silence.

 _"_ _Would you lie with me and…just forget the world?_ "

He knew this song, of course (who didn't), but why did it hit such a chord?

 _"_ _All that I am…"_ Annabeth continued to sing,

 _"_ _All that I ever was...is here in your perfect eyes"._

Percy almost wanted her to stop.

 _"_ _..They're all I can see."_ Annabeth finished with a satisfied smile.

Percy shook himself out of his uneasiness and gave her a bright smile, tracing his finger down her face and then poking her playfully in her neck.

"Quite the little songbird, aren't you?" he teased.

She rolled her eyes and pouted, "Ha. Ha."

Eventually, they got out of bed and washed up. They gathered their bags, packed to the brim with all they would need for…well, for the rest of their lives. Before Percy left his room, he breathed in one last look, savoring how perfect everything in his life was at the moment. He put on a brave smile and closed the door.

As Percy and Annabeth sat down at the dining table for brunch, Sally and Paul looked at them in mock sternness.

"So the Heroes of Olympus finally rise from the dead!" exclaimed Sally.

"Mom…" Percy protested.

Paul gave Percy a sympathetic look, "Didn't want to get up, did you? It's alright Percy, I get you. It's a special feeling, not wanting to get out of bed when you've got that certain person right beside you." Paul finished with a wink.

"Heh. Thanks Paul." Percy was grateful Paul seemed to understand.

Soon, the four of them dug in. In good old Jackson fashion, Sally had prepared a ridiculously large amount of blue pancakes and blue fruit salad for brunch—complete with blue orange juice! It was so absurd anyone outside of these four people would've reeled back wide-eyed. But not this happy family, as everyone eagerly wolfed down the delicious goodness.

"So Percy," his mom casually started, "When will I see you again? You know, with camp, then college in Berkeley? Actually, how are you even going to get there? Will you visit for Christmas?"

Paul face palmed. Obviously, Percy's mom wasn't very casual about this at all. She was going to miss her son so much. Percy knew that she having him back for the better part of the past year meant so much to her. Ever since the Second Titan War, Percy's life had been hectic to say the least. He had gone from one Great War almost directly into the next. He was then kidnapped and went missing for _eight months_ , after which he dedicated another four months or so fighting in the Second Giant War. That really didn't leave much time for him and his mom to spend some quality time together. The fact that Percy was able to go through another full year at Goode meant the world to his mom, not just because her son graduated from high school, but because she could spend such a long, uninterrupted period of time with him. Now, that was coming to an end.

Percy sighed, "Mom, I've told you, I'm sure we'll get our own demigod means of transportation to Frisco. As for when I'll see you again, _yes_ , I will in fact be visiting for Christmas! And so will Annabeth!" he finished by draping his arm around his fiancé.

Annabeth scooped a final piece of blue kiwi into her mouth and nodded her head enthusiastically, "I'll make sure your son returns here safe and sound and in time for Christmas dinner, Sally!"

Sally seemed to brighten at Annabeth's assurance. Percy knew that his mom loved Annabeth, and he wouldn't have it any other way. No one knew Percy better than his own mother, and he knew…that she knew…that her son was sort of a loose cannon some, no _most_ of the time and really needed someone to reel him in and keep him grounded. Annabeth was the perfect partner for Percy, his perfect foil.

"Do be sure to send us postcards alright?" Paul chimed in.

Percy nodded, "You bet! Same goes for you two."

Eventually, it was time for them to go and as Percy and Annabeth stood at the door to the apartment, Sally looked on the brink of tears while Paul regarded Percy with a proud look on his face. He gave Percy a firm handshake and a tight man hug.

"Percy, I want you to go out there into the world and really _live_ the next four years of your life. I can promise you that you will _love_ college. And especially as you've already found your happily ever after," he threw in a trade mark wink, "it'll be a breeze too. Just know that you've got at least two very proud and happy parents thinking about you right here at home and…well…you've always got a home here. We'll miss you, Percy. Take care of yourself, and take care of that fiancé of yours too."

Percy smiled appreciatively at Paul, "Thanks so much Paul. I'm sure I'll enjoy college, especially with Annabeth by my side. But also because I know my mom's safe and sound back here in New York, pursuing her dream as a novelist, and most importantly, with someone strong, reliable, and kind such as yourself. Thank you so much for making my mom, and me, so happy. You've really changed our lives, and…well, I just wanted you to know that I'm glad you're my step-dad."

Paul nodded, and then gestured to Sally, who had just finished kissing Annabeth on the cheek and releasing her from a bone-crushing hug. Percy approached his mom, a warm smile on his face. Mother and son embraced and they held each other in happy silence. Percy breathed in her sweet scent that smelled faintly of the chocolate chip cookies Percy had grown to love. He pulled back slightly and looked at his mom.

"Mom, I want you to know that I'll be good during my time in college. I'll take care of myself, I'll keep Annabeth safe, and I'll write back to you regularly." Percy felt like a little kid, reassuring his worried parent that he'd behave.

His mom just laughed and said, "Oh Percy! I just want you to have fun and for you and Annabeth to come back to me in good health come Christmas time. Can you do that for me?"

"Yeah mom, of course!"

"Then we don't have a problem. Though I'm holding you to your promise on writing back regularly! I want to know everything there is to know about my son and his life. Not much you can hide from your mother, dear!"

Percy gave his mother a kiss on the cheek and turned to Annabeth, who was just giving Paul a goodbye hug as he wished her well in her academic endeavors and ambitions and to keep an eye on Percy and his…sometimes unpredictable tendencies.

With a final look at his parents, Percy closed the apartment door with a sense of closure washing over him. _Everything's going to be okay._

"Ready to go, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth poked Percy's cheek.

Percy caught her wrist.

"Owww," she protested.

He then gave her a quick kiss, effectively shutting her up.

 **LINE BREAK**

"Percy! Annabeth!" Percy grinned as he saw a familiar red-headed girl run up to them. It was his feisty mortal friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. To be honest, Percy hadn't really gotten a good look at her since the end of the Second Titan War two years ago. When he went missing on those eight months and as he strove to fight in the Second Giant War only for Rachel to dash of to Camp Jupiter come the end of the war, it seemed as though fate was keeping them apart. Now though, Percy could see that the past two years had been extremely good to Rachel. Her fiery, red hair, once frizzy, was now thick and wavy. Her emerald green eyes were as pretty as ever, and that cute splash of freckles across her nose still gave her that young look. She had grown taller and slimmer, and her features were more defined and sharpened. _Let's just say Rachel probably turns a lot of heads,_ Percy thought to himself.

Rachel gave Annabeth a hug, and the two girls laughed. She then turned to Percy and threw her arms around him, affectionately pressing her forehead into his neck.

"Hey you! I haven't seen you in like…forever! We've got a lot of catching up to do, you know," Rachel grinned.

Percy chuckled, "Yeah, it's awesome to finally see you again, Rachel. Seriously, you look good!"

She blushed. Annabeth scowled slightly, then playfully gave Percy a light shove.

Rachel noticed and smiled. She took Annabeth's arm and said, "You two, come up to my place and chill for a while! My chef prepared us some awesome BBQ you just _have_ to try before going back to camp. And, we need to have a nice long chat."

Annabeth nodded, "Sounds like a plan Rach."

The three friends made their way up Rachel's luxury apartment complex. She lived on the top floor, of course. As they made their way through the entrance of the apartment, Percy suddenly tensed. Years of fighting had honed his instincts to perfection, and Percy was sure as hell that something was now very, very wrong. He turned to Rachel and asked in a low voice,

"Rachel, what happened to your apartment?"

Annabeth looked at him incredulous, "What do you mean, Percy?"

But Rachel had a horrified look on her face, which was deathly pale.

" _Monsters…here in my own home._ But…how?"

"What monsters?" Annabeth inquired, "There are no—".

She was cut off as six dracaena appeared at the end of the corridor leading to Rachel's living room, donned in full Greek battle armor. They were soon joined by two empousai who glared at them with hatred. It was a sight all too familiar to Percy, who was used to the dracaenas' serpentine bodies and forked tongues, and to the empousai's strange donkey/metal feet and flaming hair and vampire fangs.

"Hello, Perseus Jackson," one of the empousa crooned, "We have orders to capture you." She bared her teeth and let forth a shriek of excitement.

Percy's head was running at a million thoughts per second. He wasn't scared of what was before him. He could take them easy. What scared him was _why_ they were here. He and Annabeth hadn't come across _any_ monsters since the end of the Second Giant War. As he looked at her now, she drew out her signature knife, which she one day found sitting on her bed, courtesy of Hades who had had Alecto retrieve it from Tartarus. He nodded grimly and decided that it was better to destroy first and ask questions later. He uncapped Riptide and watched in satisfaction as the familiar celestial bronze blade appeared in his hand.

One of the dracaena began hissing, " _If you ttttttthink that killing usssssssssss wi—"_

She was cut off as Rachel hurled a…blue hairbrush at the dracaena, hitting her square in the eye (she really had a knack for that).

"Get the hell out of my home!" Rachel yelled, her green eyes blazing with anger.

Percy seized the window of opportunity and dashed towards the group of monsters, trying his luck and slashing Riptide in a wide horizontal arc. He cut through two dracaena like butter before he embedded Riptide into the side of an empousa, vaporizing all three monsters at once. The remaining dracaena raised their swords and began slashing wildly at Percy. Percy expertly backed away, dodging most of their strikes and occasionally performing a parry. He kept up the defense, bringing Riptide up to parry away a vicious overhead swing and then slamming the hilt of his blade into the dracaena's face. He kicked out at another, and spun away as the remaining dracaena tried to impale him in the leg. _I could do this all day,_ Percy grinned.

Meanwhile, Annabeth was going one on one with the surviving empousa, and she was winning. Percy gave her a quick glance a saw her slash her knife across the empousa's face. _She's doing fine._ He turned his attention back to the four dracaena trying to kill him and decided it was time to go on the offensive. He charged them and feinted to the right. The center dracaena lashed out at him but he darted suddenly to the far left, throwing a powerful horizontal slash across a rather surprised looking dracaena who could only lift up her sword in an attempt to absorb the blow. Riptide shattered the blade and ripped through the monster, immediately dissolving her into a mound of green dust and scales. The remaining three dracaena tried to overwhelm him by charging him, but Percy rolled to the side at the last moment and slashed off one of the dracaena's legs and then promptly finishing her off. The last two dracaena hissed in fear. Percy closed in on them calmly.

"What's the matter, how easy did you think this would be anyway?" he taunted.

" _Sssssson of the Ssssea god, your arrogancccccce knowssssss no boundssss,"_ they screamed.

"Yeah, shut the hell up", Percy muttered as he made quick work of them. He turned just in time to see Annabeth slitting the throat of a very dazed looking empousa. Percy went up to her and checked to make sure she wasn't hurt,

"Are you okay?"

She looked at him worriedly, "Yeah, I'm fine, but—"

"Guys…look," Rachel pointed straight ahead. Standing at the end of the hallway was a tall, familiar-looking figure. He had tanned skin, curly black hair, and a handsome, if not bitter looking face. He had on a purple shirt and a pair of blue jeans. But what caught Percy's attention was the large baseball bat slung across his right shoulder.

"Lord Hercules," Percy ventured uncertainly, "What are you doing here?"

Hercules regarded him with a strange look in his eyes. Was it envy that Percy saw? Was the god here to help? Did he have anything to do with the monsters that just attacked them?

The god narrowed his eyes, "A new age is coming, _cousin._ The sixth and final age is on the brink of the horizon and when it arrives, I intend to attain the importance I so rightfully deserve."

Annabeth took a step forward, "What do you mean, Lord Hercules?"

"Do you think I'm stupid enough to reveal everything to you just like that?" Hercules said angrily. "If you know what's good for you, Daughter of Athena, you will stay out of this and walk away NOW."

Hercules regarded Rachel, "Ah, this mortal sees too much doesn't she? Wasn't she the Oracle of Delphi for a time? Until, well…until that idiot Apollo massively screwed up."

Rachel grabbed Percy's arm. "Percy…", she murmured, "Isn't Hercules one of the good guys?"

Hercules let out a short, bitter laugh. "One of the good guys?! See this is exactly the problem. NO ONE CARES ABOUT ME ANYMORE."

Percy took a step forward and made sure Annabeth and Rachel were behind him. The god was making him extremely nervous. Everything about his behavior indicated aggression and he had no idea why the god would be looking for a fight. This business about this "sixth and final age" didn't rest well with him either.

"Lord Hercules," Percy said in a calm voice, "What do you want? We only want to go our own ways in peace."

Hercules tensed, a vein bulging on his forehead. " _Perseus Jackson,_ the Savior of Olympus, the mighty Son of Poseidon. Such a hero. You remind me so much of myself. We share a lot in common actually."

Percy gritted his teeth. He used to look up to Hercules, one of his childhood heroes. But he met a very special girl named Zoe Nightshade once, and found out exactly how much of a role model Hercules really was. Hercules may be a god, and Percy would pay him his due respect, but they were _nothing_ alike.

"And yet," the god continued, "You are so much more vaunted that I am. I slayed the Nemean lion, you defeated Kronos and saved Olympus. I retrieved the golden apples of immortality, and you won the Second Giant War. I was finally offered godhood after I died, poisoned by my own paranoid lover, turned against me by a ****ing HORSE! …and you, you were offered immortality when you were barely 16…and you turned it down."

That last part came out as a whisper. Percy shook his head. _This guy is insane._ Percy was sure this was going to end in a fight, and he didn't like his odds. He tried to keep him talking to buy them all some time.

"Lord Hercules, we have no quarrels—"

"Barring that time your _insolent friend_ , that daughter of Aphrodite, took my prized cornucopia—"

"It wasn't _yours_ to take!" Annabeth shouted at him.

"BAH! Regardless," Hercules continued, "it may be true you have done me no wrong. But I cannot accept how unfair the Fates have been to me. How is it I ended up a minor god, a glorified security guard watching over those stupid pillars named after me…while you achieved eternal glory? I can't say I hate you, Perseus Jackson, as much as I want to. I envy you. All I ever wanted was what you have but don't want."

Hercules had a mad look on his face, yet Percy believed he was being genuine. He was…envious of what he had. Percy slipped his hand into Annabeth's and gave it a tight squeeze.

"What can I do for you, cousin?" Percy gave diplomacy one last try.

Hercules stared at him for a while, then shook his head. "Like I said, a new age is coming. An old master rises from his slumber, the most powerful being of all. Together, he and his followers will…bring an end to this madness that is the world. We will reset everything, build the world in _his_ image…and I will finally have the recognition and respect I deserve. But first, we need to deal…with you." He pointed straight at Percy.

Annabeth grabbed Percy's shoulder and whispered, "You take point, and I'll sneak up on him".

Percy nodded, and Annabeth disappeared under her invisibility cap. Percy turned to Rachel.

"Stay out of the fray, kay Rachel? If you can, I need you to get me water."

Rachel nodded nervously, hesitated, and then gave Percy a quick hug. "Good luck," she whispered, her eyes brimming with worry.

Percy turned to Hercules and the two of them advanced slowly, both regarding one another cautiously, reading each other's movements. No words were exchanged as the two warriors clashed. The bat Hercules was brandishing had transformed into a two handed broadsword gleaming with celestial bronze. Percy grimaced internally as he brought Riptide down from a two handed overhead slam. Hercules slammed his sword into Riptide with an earth-shattering horizontal slash and nearly disarmed Percy right there and then. The impact lifted Percy off the ground and threw him a few meters back. _Okay…head on isn't going to work for me._

The god went on the offensive, slashing his blade in a large diagonal arc and forcing Percy to jump backwards. Hercules followed up with a wild lunge, trying to impale Percy in the stomach. He barely managed to spin out of the way before coming out of his spin and slashing Riptide across Hercules' back. The god grunted in pain as ichor seeped out of the wound. Before Percy could decide what to do next, Hercules shot forth with blinding speed and landed a thunderous punch on Percy's chest, sending him flying back into the far wall with a loud crunching sound. Fire flared up in Percy's chest, and he was pretty sure some of his bones were shattered. Percy painfully dragged himself to his feet and took in the situation. Annabeth was nowhere to be seen, and neither was Rachel. _Good._ That means they were both safe for now. Percy opened up his senses and detected water further down the hallway. He reached out with his senses and felt that familiar tightening of his gut. Right on cue, an explosion was heard and water gushed from behind Hercules, eventually reaching and forming around Percy like a protective layer of liquid armor.

Percy healed himself with the water, and as his bones popped back into their sockets and his adrenaline continued to kick in, the wind around him picked up as he started bending the water around him. Soon, Percy had his own personal hurricane and a good supply of water wrapped up around him. He looked at Hercules, who was now glowing with an intense purple aura, his eyes completely white.

"This ends NOW Hercules!" Percy yelled as he charged the god. Hercules met his challenge and the two fighters clashed with a titanic explosion of flames and water. When the smoke cleared, Percy and Hercules were fighting like demons from hell. Hercules began by taking the offensive, slinging slash after slash at Percy. For his part, the Son of Poseidon diligently ducked, dodged, and rolled, occasionally using his hurricane to force the god back. Whenever their blades did clash, Percy was always pushed a few feet back by the impact. The god was just too _strong_ to meet head on. As the fight wore on, Percy relied more and more on his hurricane to keep his foe at bay. It wouldn't last, and he knew it.

Hercules lowered his sword and stated in a matter-of-fact manner, "You cannot defeat me, Percy. You are merely a demigod". And with that, he lunged at Percy with a low sweep aimed at Percy's legs. Percy jumped and anticipated what would come next. As he landed on his feet and as Hercules let forth a finishing stab towards Percy's gut, Percy twisted ninety degrees at the last moment so that Hercules' sword grazed his gut instead of impaling it. As the sword carried its master forward with unopposed momentum, Percy drove Riptide swiftly through Hercules' chest all the way to the hilt. The god roared in rage and pain, and he shook violently, wrenching Riptide away from Percy's grasp. In shock, Percy just stared as Hercules' sword quickly turned back into a giant bat and slammed into his chest, sending him smashing into the ceiling and crashing back onto the ground.

This time, Percy knew he was in trouble. His chest was completely shattered, and if it hadn't been for his armor of water, he would've been killed on the spot. He couldn't even lift his torso from the ground, and when he tried, his vision tinged with red and a massive headache overcame him. Meanwhile, Hercules was staring in shock at the blade sticking out of his chest. He glared at Percy.

"You _actually_ managed to defeat me in a duel," he whispered in shock.

His face contorted in anger, jealousy, and resentment, "But no matter…you are just a demigod, and Perseus Jackson, you do not have the power to kill a god. You never did. You are just a demigod, and now you will die…and there won't be anyone left to stand in our way."

Hercules took a step towards the critically injured Savior of Olympus and lifted his bat for a finishing blow. Suddenly, a single celestial bronze knife appeared where is right eye should've been. He paused in shock, and then let lose a blood-curdling scream of pain.

" _ARGGGHHHHH!"_ Hercules bellowed. The god, previously glowing purple, was now dangerously bright. It hurt to look at him and yet Percy couldn't look away. His form started to blur and multiply, as if Percy was viewing him while intoxicated. Hercules thrashed in agony and suddenly erupted in a searing white light. The world went quiet and Percy could see nothing but an intense white flame that seemed to be burning his soul away. As he felt his life force slip away, a flash of red crossed into his field of vision. His eyes searched desperately for something to focus on and he found the startling and familiar emerald green eyes of his dear friend, Rachel Elizabeth Dare. She had a look of absolutely horror on her face as she shouted at him to close his eyes. And he did.

 **LINE BREAK**

Percy woke to a bucket full of ice cold water. His element jarred him back to reality and a sense of panic overtook him. He rapidly took in the situation. Where Hercules was lay a single celestial bronze knife—Annabeth's knife. The daughter of Athena was nowhere to be seen. And to his right was Rachel, who must've been the one who dumped the water on him. Percy concentrated on the water around him and began healing himself, mending his shattered chest and exhaling in relief as his tendons soothed, his bones temporarily mended, and his skin sewed back together. He tried to get up into a sitting position and managed to do so without too much trouble. He got to his feet and felt a sharp pain in his chest, but shrugged it off.

"Percy…I'm so sorry…I. I only saw you," Rachel was on her knees, sobbing softly. She wouldn't meet his eyes.

Percy looked at her, "Rachel, what do you—"

Then a horrible thought flashed into his mind. With dread, he took a tentative step towards the knife. Nothing. He took another step…and felt his heart crack as his foot hit something soft. He slowly reached down and saw nothing but felt a leg. He frantically traced his way up the body towards the head, reaching for the cap he knew was hiding its owner, and removing it. Before him reappeared Annabeth Chase, the daughter of Athena, the love of his life and his fiancé, her form deadly still and her eyes completely white.

 **And there you have it guys, Chapter 3. How was it? Keep up the reviews on favs and follows and all that; I always appreciate em. The more I get the faster I'll write hehe. See you guys on the next chapter!**


	4. Great and Terrible Things

**Hey guys! Here's another chapter. I'm really having fun inserting references to other works, be it movies or books or games, so I'll be doing shout outs for those who can correctly guess which works I'm referencing from! Just a little game** **J** **For this chapter, there's two. One is the chapter title, and the other is part of what Annabeth said before she passed on. Haha without further ado, enjoy the chapter!**

Chapter 4: Great and Terrible Things

All at once, every valve, sink, pipe, and every other source of water in the apartment exploded in a violent torrent of destruction. Percy willed the water to cover Annabeth and tried to heal the damage. Annabeth hadn't been able to look away in time and now her soul was shattered; Percy wasn't sure water could do anything. To his relief, she coughed and her gray irises reappeared. She looked around confused and fixed her gaze on him. Percy choked back a sob.

"Hi, Seaweed Brain," she smiled sadly, "This…kinda sucks doesn't it?"

"Annabeth! Oh my gods baby, I'm so sorry, I'm so—"

"Shhh, hey Percy it's okay. Let me talk okay? I don't have much time."

"What do you mean—"

Annabeth shook her head gently, "My love, you can't bring me back…but you've given me time to say goodbye." Annabeth reached for Percy's hand and gave it a soft squeeze.

"Percy I want you to listen to me, okay?" her voice was soft and peaceful, as if she was already in heaven.

"You have done so much in your short life," she began, "and you've suffered way more than your fair share of pain. You're a true hero…the _greatest of them all._ And I am so proud of you, baby…You're so strong, Percy…I just know you'll do so much more good in this world before your time comes. We were supposed to get married and go to college and then…raise a family together. I…I liked to think we would have a boy and a girl, and I'd name them Nathan and Emily. Aren't those such beautiful names?" she whispered.

Percy started sobbing.

"Percy, when you proposed to me, you made me feel like the luckiest girl in the world…everything was _perfect._ We had everything planned out, our whole lives to look forward to. But I see now it wasn't meant to be…no matter how much we wanted it. The world needs you my love, and you will do _Great and Terrible Things._ "

Annabeth started to shiver, and her eyes began to glow. "I have to go Percy. Bury my body some place nice okay? Oh and, promise you'll come visit me when you can. I want to hear all about your future adventures. Tell my mother I love her, tell my father and step-siblings and step-mom I love them, and give all our friends my love."

Percy could feel Annabeth fading away, her grip on his hand weakening.

"Annabeth…please don't leave me…I can't live without you!" Percy grasped her hand helplessly.

Annabeth smiled sadly, saving her last ounce of life for the one she loved most.

"We had our time together, Percy. It was too short…but it was sweet." She gave him a mischievous grin, "Half as long," she started,

"Twice as bright" he finished with a whisper.

Annabeth nodded her head in satisfaction, "Percy Jackson, go forth and be strong. I demand you move on from me when the time comes. I…just want you to be happy. I really am the luckiest girl in the world. It's enough for me knowing the Savior of Olympus, the great and adorable Percy Jackson, was mine for a time."

She coughed and Percy could barely see her gray irises now.

"I love you, baby. I love you with all my heart and soul. I love you…and I bless you…and I hope when you face your darkest hour, my love will be there to guide and protect you. I love you, Seaweed Brain…"

And with that, Annabeth Chase passed into the void.

The son of the sea god stared at the lifeless body of the girl in front of him, incomprehension and disbelief spread across his face. He reached out and touched her gently on the shoulder.

"Annabeth…I love you too." he ventured tentatively, a fragile look in his eyes.

Nothing happened.

"Annabeth…wh—," Percy sobbed softly, realization slowly drawing over him, "Not my Wise Girl, not my baby. Oh baby…my poor baby…"

Percy gently scooped her into his arms and kissed the top of her head, fresh tears streaming down his face as he began to weep in earnest now. He wept for all he was worth as he held onto his best friend, his lover and buried his face into her hair. Percy felt like he was on cognitive overload; he felt like his entire being was going to explode with emotion. _Grief and pain_ struck Percy like a dagger in his heart as his entire frame racked from violent sobs. Part of him couldn't believe what had just happened, and a small part of him was panicking at what he was going to do without his Wise Girl. But grief and pain took center stage, and as he looked at Annabeth's face, those blank white eyes, Percy felt his heart shatter into a thousand pieces all over again. He unleashed a primal cry of pain and grief and anguish as he began to see red. The world began to spin and Percy was overwhelmed by a head-splitting migraine.

Rachel stared at her friends in absolute horror and grief, tears of her own springing from her eyes and falling to the floor. A flash of white light appeared to her right and she turned to see Hermes, the god of messengers and thieves, teleport into the hallway. He had a grim and sad look on his face as he approached Percy. Rachel darted in between the god and her friend, a defensive snarl crossing her face,

"What do you think you're doing? My _friends_ were just attacked by one of you _gods_!" she yelled, "If you take one more step, I swear to hell I'll—"

"Peace, Rachel Elizabeth Dare," Hermes interrupted her in a soft voice, "I have come to bring you all to Olympus. You have been summoned."

Before she could reply, Hermes spread his arms and the four of them disappeared in a flash of white light.

 **LINE BREAK**

Artemis glanced around the throne room from her seat. Thirteen Olympians sat in stunned silence as they waited for Hermes to bring back the young heroes. The atmosphere was supercharged with emotion. Zeus was trying to force a brave look, clearly struggling to keep it together. Athena was glaring at her father with barely restrained rage. Poseidon had a look of absolute dread on his face, and Hades stared grimly at the hearth. The other gods wore guilt-ridden faces, unable to process what had just happened. Suddenly, a white light filled the room and before them stood Hermes. To his right was a red-headed girl with emerald, tear-brimmed green eyes. She was standing protectively in front of a tall young man with jet black hair and dazed green eyes, who held the motionless body of a girl in his arms.

Artemis stared at the trio. The red-headed girl was fuming, her green eyes flashing with outrage and vengeance. The boy was barely aware of his surroundings, caught up in gazing at the blond-hair girl in his arms. Artemis knew this could only end tragically. The daughter of Athena had fallen and nothing would ever bring her back. The long-term ramifications of her death would shake Olympus to its core, that much every god knew.

Zeus stood from his throne and cleared his throat, then paused as if he was at a loss for words.

"Perseus Jackson," he began.

Percy didn't even look up.

"Why did you bring us here?" Rachel growled softly, "HOW COULD THIS HAPPEN TO MY FRIEND!"

The gods flinched involuntarily at the mortal's rage filled words.

Zeus regarded her, "Oracle, I believe you are familiar with the ancient laws that bind—"

Rachel cut the King of the Gods off, "First off," she snarled, "I'm not an Oracle anymore. And second, don't give me the "ancient laws" excuse, not right now. It is absolutely _unacceptable_ that one of you _gods,_ your _son_ might I add, dared to attack _us,_ A BUNCH OF KIDS!"

Artemis let her jaw drop. No one, save Poseidon or Hades, had _ever_ spoken to her father this way before…not even close! It was guaranteed suicide and yet this feisty mortal girl wasn't even skipping a beat. She couldn't help but concede an amount of grudging respect to the mortal. Artemis' eyes widened when the girl continued, clearly not finished.

"You gods are bloody _pathetic,_ you know that?! You reached your point of incompetency ages ago and if it hadn't been for your demigod children, you wouldn't even have made it out alive of the Second Titan War!" Rachel's eyes blazed with fury. "Every time a threat arises, your children are the ones who make the sacrifices for the greater good! NOT TO MENTION THESE SACRIFICES NEVER NEEDED TO BE MADE IN THE FIRST PLACE."

"And do you know why," Rachel continued in a soft voice, "Because each and every time, you gods SIT ON YOUR ASSES AND DO NOTHING UNTIL IT'S NEARLY TOO LATE. UNTIL DEMIGOD LIVES HAVE TO BE LOST," Rachel screamed.

She took a deep breath, her entire frame shaking with fury. Tears were flowing down her face when she suddenly zeroed in on Zeus, her blazing eyes steeling over into a cold stare.

"And it's all your fault," she chuckled. The entire room stared at her as if she was going crazy. Artemis shrunk away in horror as the mortal girl started laughing bitterly. The other gods kept looking back at forth between the girl and their King, expecting her to be smitten at any moment.

" _What did you say?"_ Zeus whispered dangerously, his voice laced with wrath and menace.

Rachel took a few angry steps towards the Lord of the Sky and pointed a quivering finger at him, "You heard me!" she shouted, "You're a _bad ruler_ Zeus! FACE IT AND SWALLOW YOUR PRIDE. YOU'RE A _POOR_ LEADER. ANNABETH'S DEATH IS ON YOUR HANDS!" she finished.

The room exploded with thunder as Zeus' master bolt appeared in his hand. He threw his hand back and prepared to smite Rachel Elizabeth Dare. As the mortal's life flashed before her eyes, the Savior of Olympus finally spoke.

"Touch her and you'll have hell to pay," Percy said softly.

All eyes turned to the Son of Poseidon, who had been uncharacteristically silent up until this point. Zeus stared at him and lowered his lightning bolt, studying the boy's shattered green eyes, tear streamed face, and broken expression. He looked worse than death.

When Artemis saw his face and those soulful eyes of his, her heart welled up with pity and she wanted nothing more than to wrap him up into a tight hug and tell him everything was going to be okay. _Woah,_ she thought, _where did that come from…?_ She realized she was staring, studying Percy's wind swept, jet-black hair, the way his tears streamed down his high cheekbones and traced his jawline, and most of all, getting lost in those brilliant sea-green eyes of his. _Ummmm…_ she shook herself in confusion. This wasn't like her at all. She _never_ got these thoughts. She reminded herself that she was a highly successful maiden goddess, and that no male, and a demigod at that, would _ever_ catch her attention…even if said demigod was super handsome and— _OKAY STOP. I respect Percy Jackson because he is a hero of integrity, honor, kindness, and humility. That. Is. All._

She realized the mortal girl was staring at her with a deadly look in her eyes and realized the red-headed demon of fury must have caught her drooling over Percy. Artemis averted her eyes and suddenly became very interested in her nails.

Suddenly, Rachel Elizabeth Dare tensed and her eyes began to glow an intense green. Black smoke appeared around her until all the gods could see was a pair of glowing green eyes staring at them from a black smoke screen. She began to speak, her voice amplified and multiplied, as if three different versions of herself were speaking at once.

"One last time Olympus shall call,  
Upon her hero, the greatest of them all.

Immortality is what he must receive,  
If we are to survive and he is to lead.

Moon and Mist will soothe Sea's Pain,  
Less the world see chaos reign.

To see the Earth in endless death,  
The hero's soul saved by love's last breath."

 **LINE BREAK**

"We will listen," Percy said.

The gods looked relieved, and some of them let out breaths they didn't know they were holding.

"Perseus, tell us what happened," Zeus began, eyeing Rachel tiredly as the feisty redhead eyeballed him back.

Percy proceeded to recount the entire incident, from the moment he and Annabeth met up with Rachel to when Hermes brought them to Olympus. When Percy brought up what Hercules said about the "oldest master" and "resetting the world in _his_ image", the gods began to argue amongst themselves.

"It can't be!" Zeus yelled.

"And yet, who else could it be," Athena said coldly, obviously still reeling from grief.

Poseidon stood up, "And what of the prophecy? The Hero of Olympus, the greatest of them all. Who else could it be?"

All eyes turned to Percy, who narrowed his eyes and shook his head.

"Immortality is what he must receive…if we are to survive and he is to lead," Apollo mused.

"Well, that's rather straight forward," he added. All at once, all the gods started shouting. The throne room began to shake violently as Percy Jackson glared at the gods with a murderous look on his face.

"ENOUGH. I WILL NOT ACCEPT GODHOOD. NOT AFTER SEEING WHAT YOUR ANCIENT LAWS DID TO YOUR CONSCIENCES," Percy roared.

The room went silent.

"Moon and Mist will soothe Sea's Pain…" Artemis mused,

"I…am I the moon?" she asked uncertainly, "Who is the mist?"

"To see the world in endless death…" muttered Hestia,

"The hero's soul saved by love's last breath!" squealed Aphrodite.

"Awww, that is so sweet…did…did she bless you before she died?" the love goddess asked softly.

Percy stared at her, then looked away. "Yeah, yeah she did."

Zeus stood, "We will discuss this more in detail among ourselves. It is clear a great threat looms in the distant horizon, most likely another great war. For now, we can take our first and most important step. Perseus Jackson must receive godhood. All in favor."

Fourteen godly hands shot up. The son of the sea god backed away.

"I said—" he began.

"You do not have a choice," Zeus said grimly as the remaining Olympians rose to their feet.

"I am sorry, my son," Poseidon said, "But this is your destiny. You were always meant for godhood, and soon you and I will be able to rule together. This is for the best, Percy. We'll make a formidable team."

Before Percy could move, the gods began to chant in ancient Greek and raised their hands towards Percy. Powerful beams of energy shot forth from their hands and struck Percy with force. He was forced down on one knee as a warm and energizing light washed over him. He felt as if a million electric cables were plugged into him, electrifying him a thousand times over and filling him with an unbelievable amount of power. He looked at his hands and saw that they were glowing with a golden aura. Then rage filled him and he started to resist the power with all his might. The wind in the throne room picked up until a violent hurricane surrounded Percy. An earthquake seized the throne room floor as Percy began to roar in defiance. The gods' thrones were flung back, the great tapestries of the throne room were shattered, and Rachel Elizabeth Dare took cover behind Percy's legs. Somehow, none of the storm or earthquake seemed to affect her.

"LET ME GO!" Percy yelled, "I DON'T WANT YOUR GIFT."

"Percy!" Poseidon said as he and the rest of the gods struggled against Percy's wrath, "Do not resist the process! You are practically a god at this point! But we need you to step forth and accept godhood, or we cannot complete the process!"

"I REFUSE!" Percy screamed, his eyes glowing green and his body radiating a blinding golden light. He was showing his true godly form.

"I DON'T WANT YOUR PAIN. I DON'T WANT YOUR FUTURE. I DON'T WANT YOUR PROPHECY! LET. ME. GO"

And with that, Percy released an explosive shockwave of golden energy, flinging all the gods off their feet. When they recovered, they saw Percy Jackson standing before them, chaos and destruction around him. Rachel had wrapped her arms around his neck and was calming him down. His eyes no longer glowed and his golden aura dimmed so it was barely discernable. He looked at the gods coldly,

"I reject godhood. I don't know what you've done to me, I don't know how much of a god I am right now, but I reject godhood, because if a god can sit by because of ancient laws while a false god slaughters innocent heroes, then a god is definitely not something I want to be."

He looked at his father, "Father, do not come looking for me. You won't be able to find us, that I can promise you. Oh and," he turned to Athena, "Annabeth told me to tell you that she loves you."

And with that, Percy and his friends disappeared in a brilliant burst of golden light.

 **I hope you guys enjoyed that. Thanks for all the support and helpful feedback. Remember! If you know the answers to the references, leave it in the reviews. Favorite, follow, and review and I'll see you guys on the next chapter** **J**


	5. The Color RED

**Hey guys! Another chapter** **J** **I know I've been slow but I've been busy and I don't want to rush my work. I had fun writing this chapter and before you guys complain about how OP my Percy is, I implore you guys to be patient as Percy will soon meet foes who will match him in battle, evening things out. As of now, he's still enjoying easy fights against relatively weak foes. Just let us indulge in a godly Percy for now okay? Haha anyways, enjoy Chapter 5!**

Chapter 5: The Color R.E.D.

 _Three years later…_

Rachel Elizabeth Dare was pissed, and the squad of dracaena and telkhines before her knew it. _He's such a ****ing jerk!_ And with that pleasant thought, she lunged at the nearest monster, a wimpering telkhine, slashing her enchanted celestial bronze blade across the telkhine's chest. As the monster was dissolving, Rachel somersaulted straight toward the remaining monsters, catching them off guard as she impaled her blade into a dracaena's stomach. Another lashed out at her, swinging her mace in a powerful downward arc. Spinning out of the way, Rachel kicked the dracaena's leg out from under her while catching a panicking telkhine's sword with her own. She grunted with the effort, looked straight at the telkine, and concentrated. Suddenly, the canine stumbled away in surprise, his eyes clouding over as he was struck with blindness. Rachel turned her attention back to the recovering dracaena and decapitated her before she could rise. She parried away a strike from another dracaena and exchanged blows while the remaining monsters stared at her in fear. She soon made short work of them, but before she could feel too good about herself, Percy called over,

"Not bad Rachel! You only had to use your mist powers like…once!"

Rachel scowled as she looked over at Percy, who was practically taking on an entire army of monsters. Rachel counted at least a hundred, and she rolled her eyes as Percy hacked and slashed his way gleefully through the ranks of Cyclops, Laistrygonian giants, hell hounds, and other sorts of beautiful creatures. She crossed her arms and begin tapping her foot impatiently as Percy ducked and dodged a hundred separate weapons while simultaneously slashing their owners with an enchanted and glowing Riptide. Percy was moving so fast most people would have only seen a golden blur of light. In Rachel's case, her clear-sighted attributes allowed her to see her friend despite his pacey style of fighting. She remembered him once telling her that when he went into battle mode, his reflexes sped up so much that his enemies appeared to be moving in slower motion, _like at…half their usual speed_ , she recanted what Percy had said. It certainly seemed that way as Percy effortlessly caught a Cyclops's club with his left forearm, which was covered with an awesome looking golden vambrace, and proceeded to slash a temporarily elongated three meter long Riptide in a vicious overhead arc and taking out at least ten monsters. He then waved his arm at the Cyclops, and the poor monster was smashed in the chest by an exploding ball of golden fire.

"Now look who's cheating!" Rachel shouted indignantly.

 _Freakin Percy._ _And his stupid god powers._ To be fair, Rachel had to admit Percy made a very conscious effort to use as little of his godly powers as possible given his steadfast refusal to accept godhood. She understood his reasons, of course, but she couldn't help agreeing with what Poseidon had said—Percy was always destined for godhood. He had the leadership, he had the looks (Yes, Rachel wasn't going to deny that), and most importantly, he had a noble heart. If anyone would fully utilize the powers of godhood for the greater good of the world, it was Percy Jackson...her best friend. Rachel knew she and Percy shared a strong friendship before—one that, had it not been for his long time sweetheart, might have led to romance—but in the past three years, the two green eyed delinquents had reached their own special level of intimacy. Ever since Annabeth died, Percy had made great progress in picking himself up, but Rachel knew he felt a gaping emptiness deep down, and she always did everything in her power to make him happy, if only temporarily...which reminded her.

"Hey sharkboy!" she called out mischievously.

Sharkboy was in the process of bending an entire nearby creak into giant shards of ice while keeping the army of monsters at bay with a hurricane. He paused what he was doing and smiled at Rachel, "What can I do for you, freckles?"

Freckles feigned annoyance and replied, "I wana show you something. Hurry up!"

Percy launched his shards at the remaining monsters, completely decimating them with a continuous barrage of icy spears. He then walked towards Rachel, his golden aura still glowing from the battle. Rachel wished he'd shut it off as she couldn't help but stare at him whenever it showed.

"Okay first of all, what was that?" Rachel began her trademark Gatling-gun manner of speaking, "You always treat me like I'm some helpless damsel. How do you expect me to learn? Percy I swear you can be such a smug jerk! I thought this was supposed to be my assessment!"

"It was, and you passed! Congrats freckles."

"So now you'll finally let me fight medium to high danger level monsters?" Rachel asked sceptically.

Percy grinned, "Of course."

"You only allowed telkhines and dracaena to reach me...how am I supposed to show you I'm ready?" she asked dejectedly.

Percy draped his arm around her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, "You're ready, Rachel. I'm really proud of you by the way. I wasn't really sure what was gonna happen when I tried blessing you, but I guess I'm an Olympic-grade blesser cause look how stunning you turned out to be!"

Rachel punched him in the chest playfully and blushed. He really had a way of making sure people didn't stay mad at him. It was true though. When she and Percy disappeared from Olympus all those years ago, she insisted on accompanying him. He said it was too dangerous, given her status as a mortal, so she demanded he give her his blessing. He argued he wasn't a god and wasn't sure if he could even do that, but after weeks of her begging and a few close calls in battle, Percy finally tried. Turns out, the blessing went very well. According to Percy, the kinda god himself, Rachel was the equivalent of a demigod child of Percy...if he had any. The entire concept was frankly super weird.

"Yeah Percy, credit goes to me," she said smugly.

He coughed, "Okay the mist manipulation and sorceress powers goes to you, I guess I just unlocked what was already there, but the increased reflexes, strength, speed, battle foresight and powers, temporary invulnerability, cool golden death beams, and the ability to summon past heroes in battle go to me!"

"Whatever..." Rachel mumbled, secretly thankful for all the mentioned powers. "Anyways, can you bring us to the bay? I wanna show you something."

Percy looked at her curiously but nodded. His arm still over Rachel, Percy flashed the two of them away in a burst of golden light. They reappeared on a grassy plain overlooking a beautiful bay. The ocean water glittered a dazzling blue and the beach sand glowed with summer warmth. Where the beach ended, small trees decorated the landscape. The place was void of people, though they were only a few kilometers from Camp Halfblood.

Rachel walked towards a lone golden tombstone. The tombstone was well maintained, with flowers neatly laid up against it. She read what was emblazoned on the stone face.

"Here lies Annabeth Louise Chase: The Heroine of Olympus, A Beautiful Soul, And My Wise Girl."

Rachel sat down beside the tombstone and smiled. She leaned towards it and whispered, "Hey Annabeth, hope everything's going alright in heaven. It's Percy's big day today and I just wanted to let you know I'll make sure he doesn't celebrate it on his own...I miss you, and I really wish you were here."

Rachel closed her eyes and she could've sworn she felt a familiar presence wash over her. She drank it in, then got up so Percy could have his turn. She walked over towards the beach until she was almost touching the waves. She concentrated and positioned both her hands in front of her. A few seconds later, a picnic blanket appeared neatly laid out across the sand. Arranged nicely on it was a plate holding a large blue colored chocolate cake. It read: Happy 21st Birthday Seaweed Brain!

She smiled happily and turned around. Percy was making his way towards her. Before he could see the surprise, she stopped him.

"Wait! I need you to close your eyes."

Percy tilted his head, "Ummm..."

"Just do it, Percy!" Rachel urged him.

He closed his eyes and she took his hand and led him forward onto the blanket.

"Okay sit down," she whispered. As he sat down, she sat down beside him and told him to open his eyes. When he fixed his eyes on the cake, he stared for a while before finally smiling. He turned towards Rachel and gave her a warm hug. He kissed her forehead and put his arm around her.

"Thank you so much Rachel. You've...really outdone yourself this time. First you bring me out for fine dining at your dad's new restaurant, then to your family vacation home the next year. And now this...you really know how to treat a guy to a good birthday, you know that? Did you bake it yourself?"

Rachel smiled blissfully and said, "You're a great guy and my best friend, Percy. I'd do anything for you. And yes, that includes personally baking you a delicious cake."

Percy laughed at her cheesiness before kissing the top of her head. The two of them then proceeded to demolish the cake. Afterwards, they opened a couple bottles of champagne and drank to their friendship, to Annabeth, and to the past three years together.

Rachel attended Clarion Girls University in accordance to what her parents wanted, though she honestly missed at least half of the classes so that she could accompany Percy on his adventures. The good part about going to Clarion Girls University was that no one knew what she did when she went away with Percy. As for Percy, asides from occasionally visiting his parents, who were the only people besides Rachel who knew his whereabouts, he spent most of his time investigating. He and Rachel both knew that Hercules did not act alone and was obviously in league with other malevolent forces. Progress was few and far between over the years though, and the two friends ended up investigating via massacring hordes of monsters, helping demigods to reach Camp Halfblood or Camp Jupiter, and vacationing in the world's most exotic and amazing tourist spots, just because they could.

"This is a good life that we lead, my redheaded friend."

"Yeah, yeah it really is." Rachel paused, then continued, "Are you ready for what's next?"

Percy looked at her intently, "With you by my side, absolutely. Tomorrow, everything changes."

 **LINE BREAK**

"You…you again! This time, I will make sure you meet your end!" snarled the Manticore.

Percy grinned at how amazingly talented he was at pissing off everyone around him. He had learned a long time ago that it was impossible to please everyone, but it sure as hell was easy to piss everyone off. As he looked around him, he saw one furious Manticore howling for his blood from the last time he had the god of wine destroy him, and he saw a large group of very angry looking adolescent girls training their silver bows on him. They wore silver parkas and hoodies, dark jeans, and silver sneakers. Their leader, a breathtakingly beautiful girl of about thirteen with auburn hair, stepped forward with a look of shock, anger, and relief all churning around in her gorgeous silver eyes.

"Perseus Jackson? Is that you?" she whispered, disbelief drawn across her face.

Percy flashed her his most genuine smile, "The one and only, my youthful lady," he finished with a mischievous wink.

Several of the huntresses let fly their arrows at Percy's disrespect toward their mistress but Rachel, who until now was hiding herself in plain sight by bending the mist around her, shot them out of the air with a beam of golden light. The huntresses regarded Rachel with surprise and a bit of awe as the redheaded sorceress seemed to dare them to attack her friend again.

Artemis regained her composure and put on a stern face, "You have interrupted my hunt, you have ruined our element of surprise, and now you dare disrespect me with such remarks?"

Percy smiled inwardly, "Did you miss me, Artemis?"

Artemis' jaw dropped, "What…how the…I am a goddess of Olympus!" she stammered.

"Yeah, I know that…but did you miss me?" Percy couldn't help noticing how adorable the youthful goddess looked as she struggled to find the right words. Her expressive eyebrows scrunched together, she had on this subconscious pout on her lips, and her eyes were stormy yet uncertain. _I could look into those eyes…_ Percy snapped himself out of his brief daydream before he got lost in her silvery pools of beauty. Before Artemis could muster a reply, the Manticore, obviously having been side-lined, roared in indignation,

"WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE? STOP THIS SENSELESS BANTER AND—"

The Manticore never finished his sentence as Percy shot towards him in a golden beam of light, forming right before the monster and driving Riptide straight towards his chest. The Manticore was fast though as he swatted the blade away with his paw and tried impaling Percy with his tail. Percy smashed it away with his vambrace before chopping it clean off with Riptide. As the Manticore howled in pain, Percy sheathed his sword and began to glow a bright golden color. The monster then tried to rake his claws across Percy's face, but he ducked under it easily and uppercutted it with a flaming golden fist that sent the Manticore ten feet into the air. As it came tumbling back towards the ground, Percy thrust his palms forward and a searing beam of golden fire struck the Manticore head on, sending it hurtling towards a tree.

"What…what is this!" the Manticore spluttered in horror and confusion, "You're a…you're a god! You can't just fight me like that! It's against the ancient laws!"

Percy looked at the Manticore coldly, "I'm not a god, but she is," he gestured to a silently watching Artemis.

"Artemis, it's your kill for the taking," Percy offered.

Artemis stared at him in surprise, "I didn't need—"

"I'm just trying to be friendly. Can't you just play ball?" Percy sounded a bit hurt.

Artemis looked at her huntresses and saw they were watching her intently. She decided actions spoke louder than words and knocked an arrow and let it fly. It embedded itself into the Manticore's head with a satisfying thump, instantly vaporizing the monster. With it out of the way, Percy made his way towards Artemis, who had a strange look on her face. Percy thought he saw a whole lot of anger, disbelief…and was that nervousness? He knew the goddess was studying him, her silver eyes washing over him just as he was taking her in.

"I need you to do me a favor," Percy started.

Artemis cut him off, "You've been gone for three years, you defied the will of Olympus, and now you come back asking _for a favor?!_ "

Rachel marched up to Artemis and got in her face, "First of, Percy is his own person. He doesn't submit to the will of anything! Secondly, he just helped you slay the Manticore, so show some gratitude, you ungrateful snob."

The huntresses gasped in anger and trained their bows onto Rachel while Artemis narrowed her eyes in surprise and anger.

"Watch your tone and your words, _mortal,_ " she said condescendingly.

"Actually," Percy chimed in, "I kinda…blessed her. She's definitely not a mortal anymore. And what's wrong with mortals? My mom's a mortal."

As if to prove his point, Rachel allowed herself to glow a warm golden color. The huntresses stared at her then at Percy. Artemis had a troubled look on her face.

"Perseus, I see you've certainly taken liberties with your…godhood. There are…rules we have to abide by and—"

"Oh my gods! He just told you he's not a god," Rachel cut the goddess off, "When are you going to get that through your pretty little head?"

Before the silver-eyed goddess could smite his friend, Percy stepped forward and put himself between Rachel and Artemis. "Okay look, I need to see the Olympian Council so I need you to call an emergency meeting right now."

Artemis scowled at Rachel before turning to Percy.

"I'm going to have to bring you in actually," she started, "You're a wanted demigod. Everyone's looking for you. Your father, the two Camps, all your friends. Not to mention _my_ father and the search parties he has dispatched to find you: Hermes, my twin brother Apollo, the wind gods, and…me."

A look of anger flashed into her eyes and she shoved him hard, "I've spent the past three years looking for you! _No one_ has ever evaded me and my hunters for so long. You think you can just run away like that for three years, run away from your destiny like…some _coward_ and then come back asking for a favor? That's _very_ unhero like, Percy Jackson!"

Rachel tried to break free from behind Percy, but he stopped her. He looked at Artemis curiously, startled by how personal this was sounding. She shot back a defiant look, as if challenging him to a staring contest.

"Hey, _Mooney,_ he's not interested, so stop eye-******* my friend," Rachel couldn't help herself anymore.

Percy felt like if he didn't get him and Rachel out of here, someone was going to end up hurt fast.

"You're not taking anyone of us in," he said firmly, "But we'll see you on Olympus."

And with that, Percy draped his arm around a very smug-looking Rachel, who made it a point to snuggle up to him, before flashing the two of them towards Olympus.

 **Okay guys! That was Chapter 5. Hope you all liked it. Please continue with all the follows, favorites, and reviews! The more and faster I get em, the faster I'll post the next chapter. Until next time!**


	6. The Green-Eyed Delinquents

**Hey everyone! Another week another chapter :) Thanks for all the support you've given-it's what keeps me writing. Had fun writing this new chapter as I've really taken some liberties. Hope you all like it. Without further ado, enjoy Chapter 6!**

Chapter 6: The Green-Eyed Delinquents

 _Moo!_ Percy turned and fixed his gaze on a familiar face, that of Bessie the Ophiotaurus. He smiled at her,

"Hey there girl! Long time no see huh!"

 _Moo…_

"Heh. Hope Olympus has been treating you well. Did you miss me?"

 _Moo!_ Bessie gave Percy a look that seemed to yell _"No duh"_.

"Yeah well, I missed you too," Percy grinned back.

Percy felt something poking his side and looked down to see Rachel frowning at him with mock incredulity.

"You're so weird sharkboy…"

Percy realized his arm was still draped over Rachel. He tried removing it but she pulled it back down and sniffed flirtatiously,

"I like it when you get all protective over me."

Percy sighed, then recalled how his red-headed best friend nearly got into a fight with the gods damned _goddess of the hunt_ and her entire entourage of man-hating adolescents. Truth be told, he was a bit worried by how hostile Rachel had been towards Artemis. To Percy, Artemis was one of his favorite goddesses. Someone who was dignified yet relatable, proud but just the right amount of vulnerable, and really quite a beautiful and adora—

"You know," Percy started, "You didn't have to be such an _ass_ to her."

"Who?" Rachel asked innocently.

"You know who."

Rachel pouted and ducked out from under Percy's arm,

"I can't stand that _misandrist_!" Rachel yelled, "It's people like her who give feminists a bad name. Her, and her entire _frickin_ fan club of pathetic, bitter losers who take pride in hating all males. I mean, they are _so_ bigoted and prejudiced it's not even funny anymore. We live in the gods damned _twenty-first century_ for crying out loud! Why…"

Percy's eyes glazed over as Rachel began punching him with her Gatling-gun salvo of words once again. He started tinkering with the wedding ring he wore around his neck as a necklace, the very ring he had given Annabeth all those years ago. A small smile touched the edges of his lips as he remembered the dumbstruck look she wore when he presented it to her.

"Hey!" Rachel punched his arm, "Are you even listening to me?"

"Uhhhh," Percy narrowed his eyes playfully, " _Of course_ ".

Rachel stared at him, then decided to continue,

"And you know the _worst_ part is how oh so hypocritical she is about it all!"

"Hypocritical?" Percy asked between grins, genuinely curious as to what his spunky yet humorously adorable friend had to say.

"YES. Did you see the way she was looking at you? She was pretty much eye-****ing you, and I bet you didn't even notice!"

He didn't.

"But—"

" _Eternal goddess of virginity_ my foot! Sworn of the company of all men? Yeah right…we'll see how much longer that stands."

Then something clicked in Percy's mind, and he started laughing.

"Ahh, I think I now see what this is about."

Rachel glared at him, "And what would that be," she whispered dangerously.

Percy plodded up to Rachel solemnly, dragging out the moment for dramatic effect. He got up close to her and wrapped one hand around her waist and gently traced her cheek with the other, "You're jealous."

Rachel gaped at him, her green eyes wide with disbelief and her cheeks crimson with embarrassment. For one painful, awkward moment, she couldn't think of what to do as she stood there mesmerized by Percy's hypnotic gaze. Then everything snapped back into place as she smacked her right palm fiercely across Percy's pretty face with a satisfying _twack._

The slap didn't do much to Percy, given his powers, but he pretended to stagger a bit just to make Rachel feel better about herself.

"OHHH MY GODS THAT'S SOOOOO CUTE!" squealed a wide-eyed Aphrodite.

"…Yes…quite." Hera grumbled.

While Percy and Rachel were having their little moment, the entire Olympian Council had flashed into the throne room and taken their seats. The gods were now looking at the pair, some with amusement, others with annoyance, but most with shock.

"Perseus…is that you?" whispered a disheveled looking Poseidon.

Percy walked towards his father's throne as his father made his way towards him.

"It's me, dad. It's really good to see you again," Percy said a little uncertainly, bracing himself for whatever wrath he might have to endure. Instead his father embraced him firmly then clasped him tightly by the shoulders, his frame no longer hunched and his eyes no longer dimmed. The god of the sea once again stood straight and tall and his eyes radiated endless power and life.

"By the gods! Immortality has been good to you my son! You're nearly as tall as me now! Got my good looks too I might add. You know I never really understood why your aura is golden. Shouldn't it be green?"

"Ahem," Zeus coughed, "Brother, we have important matters to discuss. After three years, young Perseus has _finally_ reappeared, willingly it would seem…"

The King of the Gods didn't look very happy, but Percy couldn't help but detect no small amount of relief in his stern visage. Percy looked around at the rest of the council and realized that he should respect the formality and sacredness of the occasion. He made his way towards the center of the arrangements of thrones and looked at each of the gods and goddesses in turn. Hades and Athena both gave him a nod while Zeus scrutinized him with narrowed eyes. Poseidon gazed at him with pride, Aphrodite and Hestia smiled warmly at him, and Demeter and Hera gave him blank stares. Apollo and Hermes gave Percy the thumbs up, Dionysus yawned, and Ares grinned wickedly, no doubt looking forward to thrashing Percy's _punk ass._ Finally, Percy's gazed fixed on Artemis, and the youthful goddess stared back right at him, her silver eyes twinkling as her mind raced with a hundred thousand thoughts. Percy threw her a tentative smile. She smiled back. As Percy unconsciously widened his smile, Zeus' voice thundered across the throne room,

"This emergency council meeting commences now!"

Percy nodded, and the godly participants all got into serious mode.

"Perseus," Zeus began crankily, "You have disobeyed the will of the gods. We made you a god, but you vanished for the next three years. A great prophecy was announced, and yet you openly defied it! What have you to say in your defense?"

Zeus glowered at Percy, genuinely pissed off at his rebellious nephew.

"I was finding myself," Percy said simply.

"WHAT," thundered Zeus.

"Soul searching, if you will. I had just lost the love of my life, and you gods just forced immortality on me after another great prophecy." Percy started to sound annoyed.

"Have you ever entertained the possibility that I might have gotten _sick and tired_ of all the violence and madness and grief? Maybe I just wanted out, maybe I just wanted to grieve. Was that too much to ask?" Percy would have continued, but Athena gently interrupted him.

"Peace, young Perseus," she regarded him sympathetically, "I miss Annabeth as much as you do. I think I understand your pain, and believe me when I say the gods empathize with your desire to shut yourself away. But now you have returned, willingly, and we want to know why."

Percy nodded solemnly and decided to cut to the chase.

"Gods of Olympus, we have returned because the time to rest and grieve is coming to a close. I can feel it, the large amassing groups of monsters and ancient immortals supports it, and my friend here Rachel's visions confirm it."

"Wait," Apollo said, "Rachel shouldn't be having anymore visions. She's not the oracle anymore."

Rachel stepped forward awkwardly, "About that…Percy sorta blessed me, and since then I've had resurgent as well as completely new powers…"

Zeus shot to his feet in surprise, "Perseus did…what?" he whispered.

"I blessed her, so that she could protect herself while accompanying me on my journeys,"

Percy said frankly.

The Olympians began to mutter among themselves. Zeus looked at a loss for words. Clearly, this had never happened before. Gods didn't just _bless_ people like that, and to bless a mere _mortal…_

Finally, Hestia cut through the chatter.

"Perseus, you have taken radical liberties with your friend here…you should have consulted us first. This has never been done before, and gods knew what might have happened. Nevertheless, what's done is done," the goddess of the hearth said with finality. Zeus looked only half satisfied, but he motioned for Percy to continue.

Percy collected his thoughts, "As I was saying, Rachel and I actually spent a lot of our time investigating, looking for clues for Hercules' whereabouts. I still want to rip that guy's head from his shoulders by the way."

"Can't blame you for that," Hera muttered.

Rachel stepped forth, "We didn't actually find him. The Pillars of Hercules have been abandoned and we know he isn't here on Olympus. We did, however, come across a dozen or so armies of monsters the past few years, each carrying a banner of a general."

Ares sat up straight in his chair, "What sort of generals are we talking about, Red."

"A few armies had the banner of Hercules. A couple had the banner of Perses, while another had one of Atlas."

"Were there anymore?" Poseidon asked with a brooding look on his face. Percy was a little taken aback at the lack of astonishment or surprise from the Olympians. _Did they know something too?_

"Yes," Percy continued, "A few had the banner of Prometheus and one had a banner we couldn't recognize. That of a skull embedded with twin black daggers."

"Eris," Athena said, "That would be the banner of Eris, goddess of strife. What on earth is she doing awake…"

The Olympians began discussing among themselves. Percy glanced at Rachel, who gave him a worried look. When the duo came across these strange banners, they didn't know what to believe. Could these ancient immortals really be coming back…all at once? What powers were at work?

"ENOUGH!" Zeus shouted, "Now we will share with you what we know. These bannered armies have not gone unnoticed by us either. In fact, armies of hostile wind spirits, gryphons, and other aerial minions have been sighted in my domain. They bear the banner of Uranus, my grandfather. I have been unable to detect his presence so far, and his armies remain weak, but they definitely bear his banner."

"The Underworld has experienced attacks by armies under the banner of Alcyoneus," Hades added curtly.

"And the oceans have seen a resurgence in the titan Oceanus," Poseidon said grimly.

Percy's head began to swirl. So many ancient foes. If a war was coming up, it would truly be the largest and most cataclysmic war of all time…a war to end all wars.

"I understand that this is all a lot to take in for all of us," Zeus announced, "I expect each of us will eventually be engaged in wars of our own, judging by the amount of ancients that seem to be awakening. Until then, we shall all remain vigilant and be on the lookout for signs of further development. If anyone has anything to report, they are to call for a council meeting _immediately._ "

The rest of the gods murmured agreement. Then one spoke up,

"What about Percy?" Artemis asked.

The gods turned their attention to the Hero of Olympus.

"He shall come with me, naturally," Poseidon stated firmly.

"No," Athena said, "we need him more on land. Perseus can do what the rest of us cannot. He is not a god…or so he claims…so he can walk among mortals and be our eyes on the ground. I say he and his friend Rachel accompany Artemis and her hunters."

Artemis shot to her feet, "No way! That is not a good idea. My hunters would never accept a male!"

Athena glared at her, "You are their lady and they will do as you say. And what say you? Is young Perseus here not agreeable by your standards?"

"That's not what I...," Artemis looked at her feet, trying to furiously hide her blush, "I will do what I must for the preservation of Olympus."

The rest of the gods looked satisfied with the arrangement, but Rachel clearly did not. The emerald-eyed demigoddess shot Artemis a defiant glare.

"You've got to be kidding me…," Rachel grumbled.

Percy nudged her playfully, "I think it'll be fun."

 **LINE BREAK – Note: Whenever dialog in this font appears, it means Percy is speaking (to Artemis),** and whenever dialog in this font appears, it means Artemis is speaking (to Percy). Yes, they have telepathic communications at their disposal when they're apart.

 **"** **Yeah, I'm pretty sure I'm at the right place. Don't worry, I got this."**

"Perseus, this is serious. This girl's life is at risk here."

 **"** **Artemis, this rescue ops isn't my first. Rachel and I do this like…all the time."**

"Just be careful okay? Things are going to be messy enough as it is with my hunters and you…I want this arrangement to work out."

 **"** **Arrangement…you mean me hanging out with you?"**

"That's not what I—"

 **"** **Relax, you'll see I'm an easy going guy. It's Rachel you have to watch out for. Anyways, I've got to go. Catch you later."**

"I won't pretend to know what kind of guy you are, Percy…good luck out there."

Percy felt Artemis' presence fade away from his consciousness and turned his attention to the dilapidated country home before him. He was somewhere in the outskirts of Berkeley, in a rural stretch of country roads and Californian farms. As he gazed into the distance, Percy could see endless fields bathed golden in the early evening light. Farmers tended the fields of wheat and barley in tractors, cattle and other livestock grazed peacefully, and the sound of children laughing could be heard as they frolicked among the vegetation. A cool breeze ruffled Percy's hair and he let out a sigh of contentment. During the past three years, he had spent much of his time in rural places such as this, far away from the hustle and bustle of cities and civilization. He had to force himself to focus on the house in front of him.

The house was in bad shape, with its white paint peeling off and its windows faded with mud stains. Percy saw at least five potholes on the front porch alone and rubbish littered just about all the space surrounding the house. This was one neglected establishment, and somewhere in there was his girl. Artemis had informed him shortly after leaving Olympus that there was a girl who needed saving. Typically, she and her hunters would take care of it, but she and Percy both thought it was a good idea for Percy to do it. That way, the Hunters of Artemis might see Percy as more…genuine, a peace offering for lack of a better term. He'd better be quick about it too, as he had instructed Rachel to return to the hunters with Artemis without him. The faster he succeeded in this rescue ops and got back to Rachel, the better.

"WHERE THE **** DID YOU GO GIRL?! I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO PREPARE DINNER!" a terrible voice shrieked.

Percy heard loud banging, some glass shattering, and a crash. Percy wasted no time as he shot towards the door via a golden streak of light, passing right through the front door, and forming back into human form in the middle of an extremely messy living room. Standing with her back to him was a middle aged lady. From the back, Percy could see she was lithe and strong, but she was a wreck too, her long brown hair tussled in knots. Her clothes, a pair of jeans and a ragged jumper, reeked of dirty laundry and alcohol. She stood over a young girl of about twelve who was cowering before her.

"I'm…I'm sorry ma'am! I tried…but I'm not very good at this!" the girl sobbed. Percy stifled back a gasp when he saw the state the girl was in. A deep gash on her forehead kept dripping blood into her beautiful green eyes. Her blond hair, obviously well maintained, had streaks of red in them, no doubt the result of cranial bleeding. Her nose was also broken and she was literally trembling in pain.

"ENOUGH!" Percy roared, his eyes blazing green and his godly aura searing a painful golden. Now it was Percy's turn to tremble…in rage. The mortal spun around and let out a gasp of horror as she saw the godly figure before her. She dropped her kitchen knife and backed away from Percy.

"What were you doing with that knife?" Percy asked in a dangerously calm voice.

The woman wouldn't meet his eyes, "I…I was just…teaching her a l-lesson—"

"Ah," Percy paused, "A lesson. Well, I think you should be taught a lesson too. Don't you think?"

"I-I-I I'm sorry sir! Wha...what are you?!" the woman was starting to really freak out as Percy's godly aura was getting dangerously bright. Percy closed the distance between him and the woman, his eyes blazing an ethereal green. He wanted to make this woman suffer for as long and as painful as possible; but he knew she wasn't worth it. He turned to the young green eyed girl and forced his voice to become tender,

"Hey there, my name's Percy and I'm here to help you okay? I need you to turn away and close your eyes. Can you do that?"

The girl stared at him with green eyes the size of dinner plates, but she nodded and turned away. Percy switched his attention back to the woman in front of him and felt his anger return.

"Do you believe in the underworld, lady?"

The woman could only gap in horror as she tried to form words.

Percy felt like if he didn't end this soon, he would give in to his anger.

"Well…I hope you enjoy the fields of punishment…and I'm going to put in a special request to my Uncle Hades: Eternal Torture via Kitchen Knives…Just. For. You."

And without another word, Percy unleashed his true form, completely obliterating the mortal in front of him.

"Suffer in hell…*****."

Percy forced himself to calm down, and as his aura dimmed and his eyes returned to their normal sea-green, he took a few steps towards the kneeling girl before him.

"Hey," Percy crooned softly, "The coast is clear now. You can open your eyes."

The girl slowly got to her feet and turned to look at Percy. Having had a proper look at her, Percy was star struck by how beautiful she was. Her emerald, green eyes, much like his and Rachel's, seemed to twinkle with otherworldly beauty. Her blond hair was streaked with strands of red, and Percy now realized it wasn't blood at all. Tall and slender for her age, the girl could've easily been a model. _Is she a daughter of Aphrodite?_

"Wh-Who are you?" she asked nervously, her eyes still filled with tears.

"Hello, my name's Percy Jackson, and I'm like you," Percy gently explained.

"Well…what do you mean you're like me? And…Hi," she added meekly, "My name's Emily Drake."

Percy flashed her his trademark dazzling smile, complete with soulful sea green eyes, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Emily."

Emily looked around the room and realized the woman was gone, "Where…where did my Aunt go? Did you…kill her?" she asked quietly.

Percy looked at her gently, "She's gone. Yes, I did, and I'm sorry you had—" _Oof!_

Before he could utter another word, Emily had thrown herself at Percy, wrapping him in a tight hug as she sobbed into him with reckless abandon. Percy held her there, happy to be there for this poor girl. He wondered who her godly parent was, and what her story was. He should have been able to tell who her parent was, given his own immortality. Maybe he had to be a full god to have that sort of sense… _but if not Aphrodite…then who?_

After a few minutes, Percy gently untangled Emily from him and led her to the sofa. He took her hand and she looked at him with curious eyes.

"Emily, I want to heal your injuries. Do you trust me?"

She tilted her head and spoke softly, "I trust you, Percy."

"Then lean back, and close your eyes."

She did. Percy put forth his hands and allowed them to glow golden. He pulled some water vapor from the air and soon his two hands were coated with a thin layer of golden liquid. He went to work, washing and gliding the elixir gently over Emily's forehead, nose, and cheeks. As he did, she hummed softly in contentment as her injuries were healed. When he was done, Percy smiled and tapped her nose playfully, "All done, Red Streaks."

Emily blew a red streak of hair out of her face, "Red Streaks?" she asked quizzically.

"Yeah, cause you know…you got red streaks," Percy teased.

Emily pouted, then blushed. "Thank you so much for making me feel better, Percy. I think…I think you saved my life today." She leaned against his chest and relaxed. Percy snapped his fingers and a tall glass of blue chocolate chip cookies milk shake appeared in front of him.

"Here Emily, I made you this. It's what my mom used to make me, and I'm sure it'll make you feel better." Emily looked at the drink in surprise, then at Percy.

"How on earth did you just…make that? I can't do stuff like that."

Percy grinned, "Okay I wasn't completely honest when I said I was like you. Well, I used to be…then, they kind of…upgraded me. Now, before all the questions come out, I want you to drink up! I'll talk, you listen."

Emily sniffed softly, pretending to be miffed, then began to inhale her blue milk shake. For the next ten minutes, Percy explained the world of Greek and Roman mythology to her: how the gods and monsters were real, how wars between good and evil raged on even in modern times, and how they were the demigod children of gods and mortals. When he told her about his strange position as an unwilling god, she just laughed amusedly, which surprised Percy.

Then she asked him the golden question, "So, who's my mom?"

"I don't know, Emily," he wished he did.

Emily sighed dejectedly, "I guess my mom isn't proud of me huh? She was never around…it was just dad. And then after he lost his battle with cancer, it was just his crazy sister Aunt Rita. She's…the one you met earlier."

Percy put his arm around her, "What was your dad like?"

"He was a really good dad," Emily mused, "I really miss him…"

"Well," Percy playfully nudged her, "The good news is he's probably in Elysium right now, the place where heroes go when they pass on."

She looked at him with twinkling green eyes, "You really think so?"

"Well, I could ask my uncle to be absolutely sure," Percy threw in a wink, "I'll get back to you with regard to that."

"Thanks Percy, you're so good to me. I'm so glad you came into my life today," Emily crooned softly. She leaned against Percy's shoulder and started drifting off to sleep. Percy smiled and snapped his fingers, summoning a blanket and laying it over the snoozing girl in his arms. As he himself was starting to drift off, a bright white hologram appeared above Emily's head. Percy stared at it in confusion before realizing Emily was being claimed. Squinting against the light, Percy made out a regal looking swan…flanked by two lions.

 _It couldn't be…_ Percy thought in disbelief. He stared at the hologram, which was now starting to fade. _Was this even possible?_ He shook his head. Suddenly, he could feel a warm presence brush against his consciousness. A melodic voice suddenly spoke in his mind,

 _"_ _Percy, wipe that star struck look off your handsome face. You're a smart guy; it is exactly what it looks like!"_

"No way…you can have kids?"

 _"_ _Very funny, Percy. Just because I've been around for a while doesn't mean I can't have children. I know, I haven't had children for a seriously long time…but hey, I love kids."_

"Damn…you have a really nice voice, you know that?"

 _"_ _Awww, that's flattering. Anyways, take care of my daughter okay? She's technically not a demigoddess, but I trust you'll know how to integrate her into our crazy world. I'll drop by one day to check on you two! XOXO, Rhea."_

 **Soooo, did you guys like my use of everyone's favorite Titaness? What about telepathic comms? Thoughts? Haha anyways keep the reviews, favs, and follows coming! Really appreciate em. Until next time guys!**


	7. Where are you taking me, Percy Jackson?

**And here's chapter 7! Percy and Rachel finally meet the Hunt...and Percy and Artemis finally get their first moment. Twas a bit of a long time coming but hopefully the pace wasn't too sudden. Now, enjoy Chapter 7!**

Chapter 7: "Where are you taking me, Percy Jackson?"

"…are you even listening to me right now?"

"Hey! Perseus Jackson…don't tell me. You're actually still asleep?"

Percy tried to ignore the sweet sounding voice in his head a little while longer.

"PERCY JACKSON!"

 **"Ow! Artemis, please don't speak so loudly. You're giving me a headache…"**

"Then pick up next time. You should be awake by now. Anyways, did you rescue the girl?"

 **" _Pick up?_ This isn't instant messaging for crying out loud; this is my mind! And yes, I rescued the girl. Her name's Emily by the way, and she's one special kid. Tell you more when I see you."**

"Great. Can you hurry on back? Rachel nearly got into a fight like…only a dozen times since she got here. Geez Percy of all the mortals you could have blessed, you chose that redheaded nightmare from hell—"

 **"Artemis, we can talk more about Rachel Elizabeth Dare later. She's actually quite sweet once you get to know her. Emily and I will come by soon. Over and out!"**

And with that, Percy shut off his mind so that he could get some peace and quiet. This whole telepathy thing the gods did with one another seemed cool but really started to get annoying after a few unplanned encounters. After a couple minutes, Percy opened his eyes and took in his bearings. He was still on the sofa from the evening before, and Emily was still curled up in a ball beside him, her head resting on Percy's chest. Percy smiled fondly as he gazed at the young demigod—demititaness, her golden blond and red streaked curls dangling down past her shoulders. She actually reminded him a bit of Annabeth. _A daughter of Rhea._ Wow…Percy wasn't even aware of the existence of demititans. And yet, one presently lay in his very arms. _Wait till Artemis gets hold of this,_ he thought.

He felt Emily stir. She slowly opened her eyes then looked up at Percy, twin pools of emerald light twinkling like stars.

"Morning," she said softly, then gave Percy a small smile.

"Hello Emily, sleep alright?"

"Yep," she blushed, "Sorry I kinda used you as a pillow…"

Percy laughed, "That's okay. I've been told I make a really nice pillow. Common, let's eat breakfast."

After Percy and Emily washed up, he promptly snapped his fingers and made them his favorite breakfast: blue pancakes with blue orange juice. When Emily saw what was for breakfast, she asked, "Why is everything blue?" to which Percy gave the standard explanation. She laughed, shrugged, and dug in.

After inhaling a couple of pancakes, Emily looked at Percy hopefully.

"So, did you find out who my mother is?"

Percy nodded and looked at her with a mischievous smile, "Yes I did. She contacted me last night actually, and you're not going to believe who she is."

"No way! Who is she? Please tell me," Emily leaned forward and tilted her head, giving Percy an Olympic-grade puppy dog eyes display that was impossible to resist.

He caved. "Your mother is Rhea, Titaness of Motherhood…and you're a demititaness."

"A demititaness? But…I thought my mother is supposed to be a goddess?"

"That's what I thought," Percy admitted, "I've never met a demititaness before, and I think you may be the only one around…but that won't matter. We'll find you a home either way."

Emily looked a little uncertain, but she nodded and put on a brave smile,

"As long as I'm with you, I know everything's going to be okay. Mmm…," she mused, "What is…Rhea like?"

Percy gave her an apologetic look, "I'm sorry Emily, but I haven't actually met her before…very few people have. She contacted me last night, and from what little I know about her, I'd say she's a really sweet person whom everyone loved. She said she'd check on the two of us one day, so there's that to look forward to."

That answer seemed to satisfy Emily as she returned to her pancakes. After they finished breakfast, Percy finally told Emily about the Hunters of Artemis and how he even came to know about her. When he asked her whether she would be willing to join the Hunters, she looked at him worriedly and asked,

"I don't suppose you'll be there? Since it's an all-girls group…"

"Well, actually…," Percy grinned, "I'm kinda attached there right now along with my friend Rachel, who you'll soon meet. I'm sure the two of you are gonna get along splendidly! So what do you say? At least meet Artemis. She's really nice."

"She's the goddess of the hunt right?" Emily asked.

"The one and only silver-eyed heroine!"

Emily laughed. "Well, I suppose there's no harm in going for a visit right? How are we gonna get there though? Oh wait, don't tell me. You can teleport too?" she added sarcastically.

Percy gave her a smug smile, "Give me your hand, daughter of Rhea."

She did, and the two of them disappeared in a golden burst of light.

 **LINE BREAK**

 _Where on earth was Percy Jackson,_ Artemis thought anxiously. At this point, she was seriously tempted to flash to the son of Poseidon in person and drag him back here, if only for her genuine fear that chaos would erupt in her absence. From the moment the mortal Rachel Elizabeth Dare had set foot in camp, tensions were at an all-time high. She clearly didn't like Artemis and her hunters, and for the most part tried to keep to herself. She even made her own meals and summoned her own tent. However, her hunters knew Rachel despised them, and therefore felt the need to antagonize her. Phoebe and Atalanta in particular, two of her more senior hunters, kept trying to command Rachel to do the worst chores. And every time they—

"HEY! LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD! That wasn't a request! It was an order! Now, if you don't get started on those arrows this instant—"

"Listen up _FEEBLE,_ if you say one more word to me, I'll take that as an excuse to _break your face!_ " Rachel shot to her feet. She was sitting a few meters away from the rest of the hunters as they ate their lunch. Everyone paused what they were doing, burgers in hand as they watched what would happen next. Rachel started munching on her fries as Phoebe and Atalanta glared at her with rancor.

Artemis cleared her throat, "Phoebe, Atalanta, what do you think you're doing? Do you think your behavior is appropriate? We're all trying to enjoy our lunch breaks here."

"But my lady!" Atalanta protested, "This mortal hasn't _done anything_ to deserve a lunch break! Ever since she's got here, she hasn't contributed at all!"

Rachel stopped twirling the apple in her hand and took a bite, "Let me remind you," she said between munches, "that while I may not have contributed, I've kept to myself. I'm only here for Percy—"

"Oh yeah, can't wait till that **** boy gets here," Phoebe sneered.

Rachel put down her apple and snarled, "I dare you to say that again!"

Phoebe marched up to Rachel and got into her face. Artemis rose to her feet and decided this was as far as she was going to let this argument go.

"Phoebe and Atalanta," she raised her voice, "I command the two of you to return to my side at once."

At that moment, a burst of golden light filled the clearing. When it died down, Percy Jackson stood before them, a beautiful blond haired girl with red streaks and emerald green eyes holding his arm.

"Look who finally decided to show up," Artemis said drily, secretly relieved the Savior of Olympus had arrived. He flashed her a dazzling smile and she indulged herself in staring at him, how his wind swept hair fell perfectly into place, how his sea green eyes sparkled with new warmth and spirit, and how his glowing aura seemed to accentuate his good looks. _What am I doing…_ she chastised herself.

"Oh look, Percy Jackson the man*****—" Phoebe was abruptly cut off as Rachel waved her hand and let loose a golden blast of light that smashed the hunter in the chest, sending her crashing into a nearby tree.

"Don't say I didn't warn you," Rachel murmured grimly.

Percy walked up to Artemis and quickly took her hand, making her jump with surprise.

"Gods, I'm so sorry for what Rachel just did. I'll calm her down while you take a look at Phoebe, okay? This is Emily, the girl I rescued," he gestured at the blond girl still holding his arm. She gave Artemis a shy smile and a small wave.

Artemis smiled back, "It's a pleasure to meet you Emily. We'll talk more later, okay?"

"Sure thing," Emily said.

"And Percy," Artemis added, "You better think of how you're gonna make this up to me. Your friend has been a nightmare to host…"

Percy gave her a wink and said, "Uh huh, and I'm sure your hunters were _soooo_ nice to Rachel. And honestly I'm so heartbroken to be called names the moment I step foot in your camp…" He sniffed dramatically a few times to hammer home his point before making his way towards Rachel. Artemis sighed and knelt down to examine Phoebe's injuries. _Five broken ribs, concussion, and severe chest burns. Gods, Percy was crazy blessing Rachel with so much power…_ Artemis did what she could, bathing Phoebe in a silver blanket of light before giving a quick incantation to wrap up the process. She instructed Jasmine, a daughter of Apollo and the Hunt's best healer, to ensure Phoebe was brought to the infirmary and placed under intensive care. She then ordered the rest of the hunt to disperse and carry on with the rest of their duties. Finally, she made her way toward Percy.

"…and honestly, they can say all they want about me—I really couldn't give a rat's ass! But I'm not gonna sit by while they insult you!" Rachel was clearly on a roll.

Percy was putting on his best stern face, but he just didn't wear the look very well. "Rachel, we knew what we'd face when it came to the Hunters of Artemis. They can be infuriating, I know, but we need to be the bigger people here. _Especially_ after you've received my blessing. You could've killed her…Rachel, you don't know your own strength."

Rachel pouted, looking genuinely crestfallen. Her green eyes fell to the ground and she looked so sad that even Artemis felt bad for her.

"But…I know you meant well and she kinda deserved it for trying to bully you," Percy draped his arm around Rachel's shoulders, "Just promise me you won't assault our new friends anymore, no matter what."

Artemis' jaw dropped. She couldn't _believe_ how fast Percy was letting Rachel off the hook! Totally _unfair!_

"I promise," Rachel mumbled.

Percy smiled, "That's the Rachel I love."

He kissed the top of her head and that was that, the redheaded nightmare from the vilest layers of hell subdued in a matter of a few sentences.

"Moving on!" Percy gently pushed Emily forward until she was standing in front of him, "This is Emily Drake, the girl I rescued." Percy whispered something into Rachel's ear and her eyes widened. She turned to Emily and gave her a warm smile, something Artemis never got from her.

"Hello, Emily. I'm Rachel Elizabeth Dare, an old friend of Percy's."

Emily's eyes twinkled, "Hi Rachel, how come you have Percy's powers? I saw what you did earlier to that hunter."

Percy face-palmed while Rachel laughed. Rachel took Emily's arm and went a little way of into the distance, as if they were already best friends. Percy turned to Artemis and gave her a tired smile, "being the only guy around here is tiring…"

Artemis laughed and, without thinking, punched Percy playfully. He looked at her in surprise, his eyes lighting up, while she inwardly slapped herself. _What was that?! OMGs!_

"Hey, it's okay! You should be like that more…I like easy-going Artemis," Percy teased.

Artemis paused, "Wait, you heard that?"

"Yup, I guess it kinda slipped through your consciousness."

Artemis blushed golden, "Well…that's rather embarrassing. Anyways, what did you want to tell me about Emily? She seems different."

Percy had a knowing look on his face, "Yeah, Emily's a daughter of Rhea. She's a demititaness".

Artemis' eyes widened slightly in surprise, "a daughter of Rhea? That makes her our aunt. I had no idea Rhea still went around having children. Well to be honest no one knows where Rhea is…she hasn't been seen in millennia."

Percy smirked, "Well, I must get my stealth abilities from her then. As for Emily, I think the Hunt could be the place for her, though Camp Half Blood could do too."

"No," Artemis quickly said, "I'd like her to be one of my Hunters."

Percy called over to Emily and Rachel, and the two green-eyed girls made their way towards him. "Emily, Artemis would like to speak with you."

The demititaness approached Artemis, marveling at the fact the goddess appeared to be her own age.

"Hello, my lady. It's a bit strange that you look like someone my age…"

Artemis stifled a laugh, "Don't worry, though I've just found out you're technically my aunt! Emily, I do have an offer for you though. Would you like to join my Hunt?"

Emily looked thoughtful, "So you girls live and travel and fight together for all time? I'd become immortal…but I would have to take the vow wouldn't I?"

"That's right, it's not for everyone," Artemis glanced at Rachel, "But it's incredibly fulfilling for those who seek this life."

The daughter of Rhea looked at Percy and Rachel, then back at Artemis. "Can I have a week to decide?"

"Of course, there's no hurry," Artemis said, "Until then, we can get you settled in and begin your combat training. How's that sound?"

Emily smiled excitedly, "That sounds awesome, my lady!

 **LINE BREAK**

For the next week or so, Artemis brought her Hunters along her usual route, through dense forests, vast plains, and rural countryside. She made it a point to personally show Emily the ropes and integrate her as best as she knew how into life as a Hunter. The demititaness seemed receptive and was really starting to open up to everyone around her; in fact, everyone seemed to love her. It was as if she had some sort of hypnotic aura. Her apparent influence wasn't just personal, those around her seemed to get along with one another too, almost like she was enhancing camaraderie. In any case, relations between Percy and Rachel and the Hunt had gotten to a point where they could exchange words without hostility, which was great. In fact, with the exception of Phoebe and Atalanta, Artemis would say her hunters actually _liked_ the two green-eyed delinquents.

" _Owww!_ That sorta hurt…" Emily complained, rubbing her shoulder where Rachel had just smacked her with the flat of her blade. The daughter of Rhea then put on a determined face and lunged.

Artemis watched from a distance as the two girls practiced their sword fighting in an open clearing. The trees above rustled softly with a pleasant wind, the surrounding lush vegetation swayed gently, and a little way off in the distance, a gleaming lake decorated the background. _What a picturesque moment,_ Artemis thought. She suddenly felt a warm, familiar presence by her side.

"Heyya Artemis," Percy said softly.

 _Percy._ Over the past week, Artemis had been able to see a lot more of the Savior of Olympus, more than she was used to. They even managed to have a few good talks, though they were hardly ever alone. Sometimes, Rachel had to go off for her classes, and when she did, Artemis was secretly happy—it meant alone time with Percy.

"What are you thinking about?" Percy smirked, "You have on this cute pondering look. Like, your eyebrows sorta squish together and you get this faraway look. You kinda pout too."

Artemis blushed furiously, "Wha…I do not pout! I-"

At a genuine loss for words, Artemis decided the best course of action would be to cross her arms and…pout some more.

"Jerk…," she muttered.

That made Percy laugh. "Artemis, there's somewhere I want to bring you."

"…where?" she asked curiously.

"A place I've visited a lot the past three years, and honestly I just thought we could chill a bit," he paused, "just the two of us."

Artemis felt her heartbeat pick up. _What's happening to me?_

"Is this a date?" she blurted out. She quickly covered her mouth. _He was engaged for crying out loud…Just kill me now._

She saw Percy blush, which surprised her. She hadn't seen him blush before.

"Percy, I'm sorry, I didn't—"

Percy brought his index finger to Artemis' lips, effectively shutting her up. He gave her a nervous smile, one he didn't give very much. "Tell you what, we'll leave that question unanswered…and see what happens."

Artemis looked into Percy's eyes and immediately started getting a bit light-headed. _What was it with this guy…_ Artemis thought. Ever since that council meeting three years ago, every time Artemis saw Percy, some…previously dormant part of her kept igniting…and every time she tried to deny or shut it away, it would come back stronger. It went without saying that she had _never_ felt this way about anyone before, so for the first time in her life, she was completely lost, at the mercy of her own feelings. Percy Jackson was one of the only males she even respected, but he also made her feel vulnerable, emotional, and longing…and she hated herself for it. She was a _maiden goddess_. She took a _vow of maidenhood_ , she led a group of girls who took the same oath…and Percy probably told himself he wouldn't love again anyways— _so what was the point!_ She'd be lying to herself if she insisted there wasn't any chemistry between them though…and if she went with him now, she knew herself well enough that she'd be taking that final step off the edge, that he'd be taking her to places she'd never been to before. She was an immortal goddess millennia old, and yet her mind was telling her no but her heart was telling her _yes!_

Without her consciously doing it, she allowed herself to transform into her twenty-one year old form, wanting to match Percy. He blinked at her and stared, star struck. His jaw dropped slightly and he quickly looked Artemis head to toe. That made her self-conscious and she blushed. She was surprised to see him blush too, and for once the quick-witted son of the sea god was silent. Artemis wasn't sure how this worked, but she was feeling brave. She closed the distance between the two of them and took his arm,

"Where are you taking me, Percy Jackson?"

 **So how was it? I actually had a lot of fun writing the Percy/Artemis segment. These things always seem to take a life of their own :P Appreciate all the feedback, reviews, favs, and follows so keep em coming! Until next time!**


	8. Homecoming

**HEY GUYS! I know it's been a while but phew! I'm glad and proud to present to you guys the next entry to my debut fanfic** **The pace has slowed down (and so has my submission rate .), but it'll pick up again. I have lots of cool stuff in store, stuff that hasn't been done before (I think)…so stay tuned! Keep up the reviews, favs, and follows (the more the faster the chapters will come) and…Enjoy Chapter 8!**

Chapter 8: Homecoming

"Wow…did you set all this up?" Artemis marveled at the neat table for two before her, expertly set against a beautiful sunset backdrop. Someone had prepared a full on dinner serving, complete with an exquisite main course of chicken steak, blue chocolate cake for desert, and a generous amount of blue wine.

Percy nodded his head happily, "I did; do you like it?"

She did, of course, but she didn't want to come off too strongly.

"I do. I never knew you had this side to you to be honest."

As the two immortal beings made their way towards the table, Percy held out Artemis' seat for her. Artemis tilted her head in surprise, not used to having someone care for her like that. As she took her seat and Percy made his way to the other side of the table, Artemis allowed herself a quick smile. She looked towards the ocean and took in the breathtaking vista before her. She traced the winding coastline as far as her eye could see, felt the salty sea breeze on her face, and stared at the bright orange and red sky as the dying rays of the sun illuminated sky and sea alike. She turned to Percy and realized the son of the sea god was gazing at the ocean, a look of remarkable calm and content on his face—he was right at home. She realized this was his element, where he felt most at ease, just as she felt at ease whenever the moon shone brightly.

After a minute of strangely comfortable silence, Percy turned to Artemis and flashed her a warm smile, the slightest nuance of nervousness gleaming through his shining eyes.

"This bay right here is where Rachel and I buried Annabeth, just over there," Percy pointed towards a pleasant spot under some trees, "and, well, we've visited this place many times since."

"I really like coming here…it calms me down," Percy added.

"Oh my…" Artemis began, a bit taken aback that Percy was showing her something so close to his heart. This was where he retreated to from the rest of the world, where he could feel closest to his beloved. How many others knew about this place? Probably very few…

"Percy, this is amazing. I'm really touched that you're showing all this to me…and yes, this place really is quite beautiful."

Percy grinned, "Well I'm glad you like it. Shall we dig in?"

"Let's! Let's see just how good your cooking is. By the way," Artemis narrowed her eyes curiously, "Are you going to tell me why everything's blue?"

The rest of dinner commenced smoothly and without incident, and as Percy and Artemis enjoyed the surprisingly delicious meal, the two godlike individuals made small talk. Percy spoke of his adventures during the two major wars he had fought in, his difficult life as a mortal, and his beloved mother. Artemis told Percy a little bit about godhood, what it was like travelling with the Hunt, and even about her annoying twin brother Apollo. Nothing serious, nothing monumental; just casual chatter between two increasingly friendly souls. Of course, Percy would be lying to himself if he denied the unmistakable and palpable chemistry between him and the youthful goddess of the hunt. For even now, as he walked along the coastline with her, just beyond the reach of the lapping waves, Percy smiled as he recalled the way she grinned, how her silver eyes radiated youth and life and beauty. He went slightly dizzy recalling how Artemis blushed golden when he complimented her, telling her she was "the cutest" among all the goddesses he had ever met…

"…and so, Apollo got into an enormous amount of trouble while I got off pretty much scot free!" Artemis shook her head and grinned.

Percy winced guiltily, having not paid attention to what the goddess was saying. His thoughts raced, and he decided a small laugh would suffice. Suddenly, he felt a small hand slip into his, and he looked down to see two silvery pools nervously staring back at him. For a wrenching moment, Percy felt like he was looking into Annabeth's eyes…and it really didn't help that gray and silver were barely discernable from one another. He felt a sledgehammer pang of guilt, but he hid it well, and he didn't let go of the goddesses' hand.

"Is everything okay?" Artemis mumbled, concern starting to show in her voice.

Percy forced away his guilt with a small smile, "Everything's fine. Don't you worry."

"Uh huh, sure…" Artemis muttered, clearly unconvinced.

"Anyways," she continued nevertheless, "I have a question, if you don't mind me asking. What's stopping you from embracing godhood? It's strange, what you are right now. It's comical, really, because you're so clearly an immortal. And yet, it's obvious you're resisting."

They walked on a while in silence, before Percy answered.

"Freedom, autonomy…independence, so that I can do what's right, no matter what. I don't want to be held back by laws and rules and conventions, just as those who seek to destroy our way of life aren't held back by said laws and rules and conventions," he glanced at her thoughtfully, "You're already a lot better off, having your hunt and all. The other gods and goddesses are far too restricted. I'm a person of action, I'm a fighter; can you imagine me taking such a giant step back from everything?"

Artemis hummed in thought.

"I suppose you do have a point, Percy. You seem to know yourself well at least," she conceded.

"But still—"

"PERCY! I don't believe this."

Artemis looked around to see who had so abruptly interrupted her. She felt the presence of Iris and knew an Iris Image must be very close-by. Percy, on the other hand, rolled his eyes and groaned.

"Rachel…"

 **LINE BREAK**

"…Look princess. It's too bad I interrupted your little date with Percy, but what I saw was urgent. We've been waiting for a lead for years and now—"

"Rachel, I wasn't disputing your findings, I was just…"

Percy pinched the bridge of his nose as he tried to drown out the two arguing ladies before him. He, Artemis, Rachel, and Emily were in his tent discussing their next course of action. Well, Emily was mainly there because she liked hanging out with him whenever he was free. Rachel and Artemis, on the other hand, were getting down to business.

"Okay Rachel," Percy began, "Please tell us what you saw again".

Rachel exhaled in slight annoyance, "Fine. I saw a giant banner, that of Hercules—unmistakable. I saw large contingents of monsters—cyclops, hell hounds, dracanae, empousai, the usual lot, you name it. And I saw Camp Half-Blood. If that isn't a crystal clear sign of our next course of action, I don't know what is!"

"And you think we should go there now because you feel your vision is going to come to pass soon?" Percy inquired.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure about that. We should go now, help garrison the camp. Getting there is nothing to us, right?" Rachel started pointedly at Artemis.

Artemis bristled slightly, "Getting there is no problem, but the Hunters of Artemis rarely ever venture to Camp Half-Blood. It's something we try to avoid."

"But surely now is a good and appropriate time?" Percy asked.

Artemis stared at the ceiling glumly, "I suppose".

"You don't say…" Rachel muttered.

"Alright then," Percy announced, "Artemis, can you inform your Hunters? I'll contact Chiron and let him know we'll be there by tomorrow evening. We'll garrison there then play by ear. Is that okay with everyone?"

Rachel and Artemis nodded, and when they finally left, Percy let out a sigh of relief.

"Glad to have some peace and quiet?" Emily teased.

Percy pushed her playfully, "You know it! Those two can't agree on anything."

 **LINE BREAK**

"It's…it's beautiful!" Emily gasped, "I can't believe you spent your summers here. It must've been absolutely amazing."

Percy put his arm around the young demititaness. "It sure is. I've made so many amazing memories here, though I haven't been here for like…four years now."

 _I wonder how everyone's doing,_ Percy silently thought to himself. He had intentionally stayed away from the camp, to no small part because of how much it reminded him of Annabeth. But now, as he and Emily stood under Thalia's Tree, Percy allowed himself to be lulled back into an overpowering sense of reminiscence as he thought about days gone past. He remembered that terrible night when he and Grover miraculously made it over the camp's boundary, when he had just slain the Minotaur. He now looked fondly at the Golden Fleece and the dragon that protected it and recalled what had happened when it was first brought to this tree. That was, of course, when he first met Thalia, Daughter of Zeus. _Speaking of Thalia…_ Percy smiled in quiet excitement at meeting her again.

"So…are we gonna head off now? To the woods right?" Emily asked. The red-streaked blonde was playing with her celestial bronze dueling knives, eager to jump into battle.

Percy nodded, "Yeah, we're gonna go off now. I should probably explain what we're gonna do. So basically we're gonna introduce ourselves and the Hunt to the warm and hospitable people of Camp Half Blood through a special "Capture the Flag" game. Do you know the rules?"

The Daughter of Rhea gently shook her pretty little head.

"Well…" and as Percy proceeded to explain the rules of the game, Emily began to smile in excitement.

"This is gonna be so fun…"

Percy laughed, "You bet. And it gets better, because it's gonna be the Hunters of Artemis vs. Camp Half-Blood. And since Lady Artemis has decided to join in this time, we'll be on team Camp Half-Blood to even the odds."

Emily looked at Percy in slight disbelief, "You two can't play! It won't be fair."

"Who said anything about fair? Anyways, you ready to go meet our team mates?"

Emily took his hand, and the young immortal flashed them towards the forests in a soft golden flash of light.

"…and Leo and Piper will lead the defense, mainly manned by Hephaestus, Ares, and Athena Campers—what the blazes!"

Jason abruptly ended his rousing battle plan as he took sight of the young man and girl before him. The man looked very familiar, donning a full black combat suit complete with light armor plating. He wore a cowl, so Jason couldn't really see his face, but the celestial bronze blade he held in his hand gave him away almost immediately.

"Percy! Bro, is that you?!" Jason exclaimed, disbelief dawning on his face.

The two old friends embraced, and as the rest of Percy's friends took their turns hugging and kissing him, the son of the sea god felt happier than he had for years. It felt only right that he should return after all these years.

Piper threw her arms around him, and he took in her strong cinnamon scent.

"Heyya Pipes! Long time no see."

Pipes pulled him closer and muttered in his ear, "Got that right, Jackson. Pull another stunt like this and you'll regret it."

Before Percy could react, the pretty daughter of Aphrodite planted a quick kiss on his cheek, officially closing the matter. Percy realized that people were swarming him, totally losing track of the task at hand.

"Guys!" he struggled to make himself heard, "We'll all catch up later, I promise. But right now, we've got a game to win! I know Chiron kept the opponent side a secret all this time, but you're playing against the Hunters of Artemis."

A resounding cacophony of groans and mutters resonated across the clearing, testament to the fact the Campers had lost every single match against the Hunters of Artemis. Percy had to stifle a laugh before continuing,

"But wait, there's more! Lady Artemis will be joining in this time, on the side of the Hunters of course."

The groans and mutters intensified one-hundred fold.

"No way!" Shouted one camper.

"This is pretty ridiculous, Percy. They can't seriously expect us to compete against a goddess. The hunters themselves are a headache, even without my sister," Jason spoke glumly.

Percy put his arm around Jason, "Guys, listen up, don't worry. You've got me, and I intend to win this game."

Leo crossed his arms and smiled his Leo smile, "Bro…we know you're good, but she's a goddess. Nuff' said ma man."

Percy gave him his signature wink, "Oh we'll see about that. You guys carry on with your game plan, take Emily here with you on offense, and leave Artemis to me."

And with that, the seemingly mortal demigod flashed away in a burst of golden light, leaving a bunch of very surprised-looking Campers staring in his wake.

Percy reappeared on the highest branch of a towering oak tree, awaiting his foe. Shortly after, the horn sounded, officially starting the game. He allowed himself a small chill of adrenaline as he prepared himself for action. It had been over a week since he participated in combat, and he now looked forward to feeling the blood rushing through his veins once again.


End file.
